Old Friend
by Megamind
Summary: Megamind has never celebrated Christmas before. Roxanne insists he throw a Christmas party at the lair and invite an old friend to truly experience the magic of the holiday. Megamind/Roxanne pairing. Rated T for suggestive themes.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: I wrote most of this way back in like January or February, inspired by a very detailed but very sweet dream I had on Christmas Eve. I lost the momentum to finish it until recently, but it's complete now, and ready to be shared with you! This was beta'd for me by nineteennintytwo. Yeah, I actually had a beta for this one! (OMG, shock! *Laughs*) I really hope you guys like this! And please be gentle... ^_^; Just a few small things to note: This is a crossover fic with Despicable Me. *Ducks flying rocks and dives beneath table* I know some/many of you aren't too fond of Despicable Me because of its unfortunate response from critics in comparison to Megamind (and I agree), but it was a cute film on its own, and the characters were necessary for the story. Don't worry, though; this fic is _totally_ about Megamind! Gru and his girls are secondary. The only other thing I want to note in case it may offend someone (which is definitely _not_ my intention!), there is some religious discussion in this pertaining to the meaning of the holiday (which Megamind is only learning) and a nativity scene. I couldn't get the "Evil Heaven" line from the film out of my head when I wrote this, so at least in this fic, though confused in certain respects, Megamind _does_ have faith. I don't mean to upset or offend anyone, that is not my intent, so even though this aspect is somewhat minor (it's really only mentioned maybe two or three times), if this really offends you somehow, please don't read. I don't want to anger anyone. That said, I hope you guys like this! It's really just supposed to be a cute, fun little fic to celebrate the holiday and make you smile! Rated PG for a few suggestive themes, but nothing explicit. At all. Sorry folks! ;P Happy holidays everyone! You guys are the greatest! 3 Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Megamind or Despicable Me.**

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><p><strong>Old Friend<strong>

**Chapter 1**

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><p>The day was already warming up as Roxanne Ritchi walked through the streets of Metro City with only a soft blue fleece to keep off the winter "chill" — if you could even call it that. It was early December, but the temperature was still in the fifties. This had been an unusually warm winter so far, but Roxanne wasn't about to complain about it, her pace never slowing as she turned a corner on her way to Megamind's ex-evil lair. Even with the weather warmer than usual, she was grateful for the extra warmth of her favorite fleece — a gift from her big-headed blue boyfriend.<p>

Roxanne smiled as she casually straightened the sleeve of the fleece, an excuse really to fondly touch the treasured garment. Electric blue with Megamind's trademark lightning bolt stitched lovingly on the left breast in light blue thread in place of a company brand, the enthusiastic superhero had proudly presented it to her the moment the temperature had dipped, insisting, "If you're going to have to bundle up, you may as well do so in _style_! This will keep you nice and toasty warm… And bring out your eyes at the same time. It's multifunctional!" The reporter giggled to herself as she recalled the satisfied smirk on his lips as he'd draped the fleece around her shoulders for the first time, admiring her in it like a puppy who had just claimed a favorite toy and made it his own. Her fingers fondly traced the stitched lightning bolt — Megamind's trademark symbol and mark. He had certainly made her his… But he had managed to do that long ago, though he never missed an opportunity to show her his affection and prove his devotion to her. This gift had been just one of his many ways of demonstrating yet again that he loved her and wanted her to know it. It had been an extremely sweet gesture, and the fleece had become an instant favorite of hers. Now she never missed a chance to wear it, just as eager to show him her own devotion to him.

It had now been six months since Megamind had defeated Tighten and won her heart, and upon reflection, Roxanne had to admit they'd been the best months of her life. The ex-supervillain had turned out not only to be the best thing to have ever happened to Metro City, seeming to do an even better job of fighting crime than Metro Man had ever done, but he'd also turned out to be the most attentive, gentle, and genuinely caring boyfriend she had ever had. Innocent, sensitive, and enthusiastic, not to mention incredibly handsome, it hadn't been long before they'd both fallen head over heels in love with each other and moved beyond a mere boyfriend/girlfriend relationship to something far deeper and more intimate. The reporter smiled to herself as she realized there was really only one word that could describe what Megamind meant to her: _lover_. Everything about the enigmatic blue alien made her heart ache to grow even closer to him… She just couldn't get enough of him, any more than he could get enough of her.

In fact, Roxanne had to admit, that was the whole reason she was going to visit Megamind today. She didn't have any particular _reason_ to _have_ to seek him out, no pressing matters that couldn't wait for another day… They hadn't even specifically scheduled a date for the evening. She had no real reason to visit him except for the simple fact that she _wanted_ to. And besides, Megamind's beautiful, expressive green eyes always looked so pleased whenever she surprised him like this… Every time he dropped everything he was doing to make a big deal out of seeing her only encouraged her to do it even more. He always made her feel so special, almost as though she were the center of the universe and everything else — including, and most especially, him — revolved around her. For a man who had spent most of his life a villain and had kidnapped her so many times she'd lost count, he certainly knew how to make her feel appreciated — and loved. Roxanne doubted there was _anything_ Megamind _wouldn't_ do for her. He'd probably even etch her name on the moon if she asked him to.

Roxanne smiled as she arrived at a large brick warehouse that for all intensive purposes would appear abandoned if not for the recently installed not-so-secret entrance in place of the old hologram-hidden one Megamind had used to use to protect his once evil lair from the prying eyes of intruders and law enforcement officials. Once he had given up villainy to become a hero instead, he'd done away with the secrecy, and unlike Metro Man, had welcomed the public into his base of operations, installing the new, more obvious door to make visitation easier. After the first few weeks and a few near misses from old, more villainous inventions accidentally getting activated, the public was kindly asked to leave their new hero alone — though he was _always_ available in case of emergency. Megamind rarely received visitors in his lair now, though he was constantly getting calls from the mayor, the police, and other officials needing to put his unique crime fighting abilities and incredible intellect to good use. The door remained — a permanent feature to show the citizens of Metro City their new hero was always there for them. Roxanne smiled and used the key Megamind had given her to unlock the door and make her way inside. He would have a visitor today, at least.

When Roxanne stepped through the door and into Megamind's lair, she was greeted by the usual sight: the stale, almost humid air — now warmer than it used to be in the ex-villain's criminal days (he heated it better now for her sake, and had even admitted he preferred it this way; he'd only ever kept it cold and dank to try to maintain an "evil" image, but being an old warehouse, it was still difficult to circulate the air properly), the gray walls lacking decoration with the exception of various machinery, metal beams and plates, and blinking lights she _still_ couldn't determine the purpose of (after a lifetime in prison, Megamind was still struggling with the concepts of "luxury" and "comfort," two things he'd only first experienced when he'd taken over the city at the end of his supervillain career and eight months later still seemed to find foreign no matter how many times he visited her apartment and reveled in the "luxury" of her everyday amenities), the smell of various experiments underway, and about a dozen or so brainbots busily scurrying to and fro on errands set them by their master. Megamind and Minion were nowhere to be seen, but then she hadn't expected them to be. Knowing her blue-skinned brilliant lover, he was likely in his lab further inside the lair, hard at work on some new invention or blueprint, barking orders to his fishy friend as Minion scrambled to help him in any way he could.

Sure enough, as Roxanne neared the lab, she could hear voices and mechanical noises coming from inside. As she heard a loud metallic bang followed by Megamind's distinctive voice screaming loudly, "Ow! My foot!" she hurried her steps in time to round the corner and see a large metal rod rolling across the floor, the blue alien gripping one foot in the air and jumping up and down on the other, a dark pair of goggles over his eyes and a blowtorch still lit from where he'd set it down quickly in pain. Roxanne had to cover her mouth to keep from laughing as she realized Megamind had dropped the heavy rod on his foot and was glaring at Minion, who looked entirely apologetic as he shouted at the fish, "Minion! I told you to hold it still!"

"I did, Sir!" Minion insisted as Megamind groaned and whimpered in pain, obviously making a bigger deal out of the situation than it was. Roxanne knew darn well Megamind was a heck of a lot tougher than he looked. "It was the brainbots! One of them tried to grab the rod in its jaws and…"

"You dropped it on my _foot_, you overgrown guppy!" Megamind shouted at him, still hopping on his foot. "Ow! This hurts!"

Roxanne couldn't take it anymore. "Oh, settle down, you big baby," she teased the blue ex-villain as she sauntered into the lab towards him, trying to control her laughter. "I know you're tougher than that."

"Roxanne!" Megamind gasped, lifting up his goggles and dropping his foot back to the ground as if it never hurt him at all, his face turning a deep shade of purple in embarrassment. His eyes darted anxiously to the machine he'd been working on then back to her, suddenly looking like a kid who'd been caught with his hand in the cookie jar. "I, uh… We were just working…" He turned and quickly shut off his blowtorch, turning back to her as he tried to brush some dirt off his black and blue spandex suit over his chest. "I didn't know you were coming… I'd have cleaned up a bit or something… I should go change."

Roxanne laughed as he tried to dart past her, reaching out quickly to grab his thin arm and stop him before he could leave. "How many times must I tell you, Megamind?" she reminded him with a knowing look in her eye. "I love _you_ — grime and all." A comment like that always managed to bring a smile to his lips, and this time was no exception. Megamind's shoulders relaxed as an incredibly warm smile spread on his lips, his eyes gazing deep into hers. Smiling back at him for a moment, Roxanne let him go and gestured to the machine he was working on before his affectionate gaze could turn her heart and legs into jelly. "So what is this thing?"

"It's a trash buster!" Megamind informed her, puffing his chest out in pride. "This puppy's going to completely eliminate Metrocity's waste problem! It operates on a similar method to my dehydration gun, only when you zap the trash, it can't be reanimated. Don't worry, I've built in a failsafe so that it won't work on anything living." He chuckled at the relief in Roxanne's eyes.

"Well, that's a relief," Roxanne admitted, turning to face her beaming boyfriend. "I seem to recall seeing a cat popping back to life in the rain once after you'd dehydrated it. I wouldn't want to see something like that happen again and be _permanent_."

Megamind shook his head in agreement, then gestured dramatically as he insisted, "I am a _hero_ now, Miss Ritchi! Rest assured I have the best interests of all of Metrocity's citizens at heart, be they human, feline, or otherwise!"

Roxanne giggled at his playful use of her formal title, then remarked, "I have no doubt of that." He flashed her his best heroic smile and she chuckled, turning to sigh at the gray walls of the lair. "You know, Megamind, we really ought to do something about the decoration — or lack thereof — of this place. _Especially_ now, at _this_ time of year!"

Megamind blinked at her innocently. "Why? What's special about this time of year?"

Now Roxanne was staring at Megamind in open-mouthed shock. "You don't _know_?" she gasped in disbelief. "Are you serious? Don't you celebrate Christmas?"

"_Kurismahs_?" Megamind tried to repeat the term, mispronouncing it completely. He blinked at Minion in confusion, then cocked his head to one side as he asked her simply, "What is _Kurismahs_?"

"Woah, woah, woah! You don't know what _Christmas_ is?" Roxanne stared at him as if he were pulling her leg. He just stared at her blankly. "You know, the Christmas story? The birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ? Even Santa Clause? None of it?"

Megamind shook his head. "No… Does that fat man in the red suit I've been seeing outside of department stores have anything to do with this? I've been meaning to ask you about that…"

Roxanne groaned and shook her head, running a hand over her forehead as she debated the best way to explain Christmas to a man who only eight months ago hadn't even known what a _window_ was. "Oh, boy… How do I explain this?" She looked to Minion. "Minion, do you know about Christmas?"

The alien fish nodded, grinning brightly. "Yes, I do!"

Roxanne stared at the fish hard. "And you never bothered to explain it to _him_?"

If a fish could blush, Minion would have done it. He certainly looked embarrassed as he explained gently, even Megamind now glaring at him for leaving him uninformed about something apparently important, "I, uh… I tried a few times… But, uh… The Boss was never in the mood to hear it…" He turned to Megamind and apologized, "I'm sorry, Sir. I should have told you sooner…"

"Yes, Minion, you should have," Megamind scolded the piranha-like alien fish, crossing his arms over his chest. He sighed, groaning, "But you didn't, so here we are. What is this _Kurismahs_ all about, Roxanne? I'm all ears."

Roxanne took a deep breath, then tried to explain. "_Christmas_," she pronounced it deliberately in the hopes Megamind would catch onto the correct pronunciation, "Is a holiday celebrated all around the world on December 25th every year. It is a Christian celebration marking the birth of Jesus Christ, though over the years it has also taken on a more secular meaning as well, appealing to people of all faiths… Christmas is a time of year when people get together to celebrate, exchanging gifts, singing songs, and sharing the warmth of the holiday with one another to express their joy. It is a time of year where warmth, love, kindness, and giving are valued over everything else."

Megamind seemed to grow thoughtful. "And this… _Sandy Claws_… How does he fit into this?"

Roxanne laughed softly at his mispronunciation. "It's _Santa Clause_, and he is the more secular icon for the Christmas holiday, a mythical story based on a man who lived centuries ago to appeal to children. Santa Clause is the fat man in the red suit you mentioned seeing. The way the story goes, he lives at the North Pole, keeps a list of everyone in the world and whether they've been naughty or nice, then on Christmas Eve he loads up a sleigh pulled by eight reindeer with a bag full of toys and flies around the world delivering gifts to good girls and boys."

"That's ridiculous," Megamind frowned, his overly intelligent brain refusing to accept such an outrageous story. "Who would believe _that_? First of all, reindeer can't fly, and unless he's got some sort of hyper-powered jet engine on the thing, neither would his sleigh. Second, it's not even _possible_ for one man to visit _every_ house in the world in only _one_ night, let alone break in and not get caught…"

Roxanne giggled as she placed a finger on his lips to silence him. "It's a _myth_, Megamind — a fantasy told to children to make the holiday seem more magical to them. Only children actually _believe_ in it… And they outgrow the myth when they get old enough to start reasoning."

Megamind grunted. "Sounds silly to me. Why not just tell them the truth then? Spare them the lie and educate them."

Roxanne shook her head, chuckling softly. "Human children aren't born scientists, Megamind… Not like you. Most parents don't see the harm in letting their children believe in a fairy tale as long as they're innocent enough to do so. In any case, it's all become ingrained in the Christmas holiday… Santa Clause and manger scenes are often displayed side by side."

"I'm going to have to do some research into this _Kurismahs_ holiday…" Megamind determined. "See what it's _really_ all about. This is all so confusing…"

Roxanne giggled, reaching out to squeeze his shoulder in an encouraging manner. "You'll get it," she assured him as he smiled at her, his eyes softening. "In any case, it's my favorite holiday!"

"It is?" Megamind cocked his head to one side. "Well then, I'd better get going on my research… Why do you like it so much?"

"The true meaning of Christmas is a very touching story," Roxanne insisted, then added with a bright smile, "And besides, it gives me a chance to give you a gift!" Megamind blinked as she giggled. "Exchanging gifts is one of the most important aspects about Christmas!"

"Do… Do I need to get you a gift then?" Megamind asked, studying her eyes closely.

Roxanne laughed, then answered cryptically, "Well, you don't _need_ to get me anything, but if you _want_ to, it would of course be appreciated…"

Megamind snickered. "Don't try to trick me, Miss Ritchi! I'll get you the best gift I can think of!"

Roxanne chuckled, noting the excited look in Minion's eyes. The fish had probably been wanting to celebrate this holiday for years… "This will be fun! Next to birthdays, Christmas is the only time of the year you can get gifts for people and they can't refuse them. It's expected!"

Megamind stared at her blankly again. "You give gifts on birthdays too? Really?"

Roxanne stared at him hard, trying to remind herself that the ex-villain had grown up in a prison isolated from the rest of the world and anything considered "normal." "Of course you give gifts on someone's birthday!" she explained with a patient smile. "A birthday should be celebrated! It's a day the birthday boy or girl is usually spoiled and treated very special."

Megamind's eyes widened as he caught on, a horrific thought hitting him like a hammer. "Oh, no! Did I miss yours? I'll make it up to you, I swear! I didn't know!"

Roxanne laughed, gesturing for him to calm down before he worked himself up into a tizzy. "No, no! You didn't miss it," she assured him. "My last birthday is in April. But that reminds me… When is _your_ birthday?"

"_My_ birthday?" Megamind blinked, then turned to Minion. "Minion, do you remember what the date was when we crashed into the prison all those years ago?"

Minion nodded. "A few of the prisoners mentioned it in following years, Sir. We landed here on Earth on Christmas Day, December 25th."

"_Kurismahs_ huh?" Megamind repeated, doing a little quick math in his head. "Then that means I was born on… December 17th! That's it! My birthday is December 17th."

Roxanne blinked at him, instantly growing excited. "The 17th? You were born on December 17th? Megamind, that's just next week! I've got to get you a present!" She laughed softly, then admitted, "Though I'll admit, I have no idea what to get a man who can build his own death ray… Do you have a wish list?"

Megamind's eyes lit up, an excited grin tugging at the corners of his lips as he asked, "Can I have anything I want?"

"Anything you want," Roxanne agreed, smiling warmly at him.

"Can I have it early?" Megamind practically begged, his excitement growing.

"Megamind, the point of a birthday gift is to get it on your _birthday_," Roxanne giggled.

Megamind adopted his most pleading look, his eyes growing huge as he took her hands in his and squeezed them tight, begging softly, "Pleeeeease? There's only _one_ thing I want, but I don't want to wait for it! I won't ask for anything else, I swear!"

"You promise?" Roxanne questioned, knowing she would cave. She just couldn't resist those big, puppy-like eyes… "You'll be happy with only a cake on your birthday?"

"I get a cake on my birthday too?" Megamind exclaimed, then cleared his throat as he toned down his excitement again, grinning at her as he swore, "I'll be happy with just a cake. I promise."

Roxanne hesitated for a moment, seeming to ponder his request as she made him suffer the anticipation of her answer. When he seemed about to start whimpering, she chuckled and finally gave in. "Oh, all right. You can have it early. What do you want?"

"Yes!" Megamind exclaimed in delight, his excitement overtaking him, then putting up his hands in a signal she stay put, he insisted, "Wait here! I'll be right back!" With that, he dashed from the room, a light in his eyes Roxanne had never seen before. Wondering what he was up to, she glanced towards Minion to see the fish was smiling secretively, but he stepped back in a gesture that clearly stated he wasn't about to say a word. She would simply have to wait until Megamind got back to ask him.

It wasn't long before Megamind came rushing back into the lab, dressed in a fresh new suit, complete with his white hero cape — a fur-collared cape that had once belonged to Metro Man, but had been given to him by his old rival on the day the Megamind museum had opened. His eyes were lit up, his excitement almost palpable as he skidded to a stop before Roxanne, panting for his breath as he seemed almost giddy. Roxanne just couldn't understand it… He hadn't even told her what he wanted yet, but here he was, seemingly more excited — and anxious — than she'd ever seen him before, and was she imagining things, or was he actually _blushing_? She had no time to ponder his odd behavior, though, before he started talking. "There! This is much better, don't you think?" he asked nervously, glancing down at his outfit. "Cleaner… More appropriate?"

Roxanne chuckled at him. "Well, of course… You know I like you in white. Megamind, calm down! You haven't even told me what you want yet!"

To Roxanne's surprise, Megamind shook his head, biting his bottom lip as he refused, "I can't calm down… Not yet." He licked his lips, then stepped in closer, and this time Roxanne _knew_ he was blushing as his cheeks turned an even deeper hue of purple. His eyes were locked on hers as he reached out to take her hands in his. "I've been waiting for the right time to do this…" he admitted breathlessly, and Roxanne blinked at him in confusion. His smile softened, grew warmer as his eyes betrayed his affection for her. "I can't imagine a better time than right now… Sure, I could wait a bit longer, plan something truly extravagant… But this just… feels _right_."

Megamind shifted on his feet, his eyes growing shy for a moment, then as he gazed deep into her eyes he spoke to her softly, "Roxanne, I know we've only been dating for six months, but for me it feels like much longer than that. I've known you for years, and though we may not have had the best start — my fault entirely — I wouldn't trade a day we've had together for anything in the universe. You mean _everything_ to me. I can't imagine living without you any more… When I try to picture my future, I see you right there beside me. I've never felt so… warm before, so… complete. I need you, Roxanne. I want you with me always. And there's only one thing I can think of that I want for my birthday."

As Megamind let go of her hands to pull a small box out of his studded leather belt, Roxanne's eyes widened as she felt herself stop breathing. Smiling at her warmly, Megamind dropped down onto one knee, opened the box to reveal a glistening diamond ring, and asked hopefully, "Miss Roxanne Ritchi… Will you marry me?"

Roxanne's hands flew to her mouth as tears of joy and disbelief stung her eyes, unable to stop staring at the gorgeous marquis-cut diamond ring he was offering her. Set in white gold with a glowing blue lightning bolt pattern etched into the band, the ring was absolutely breathtaking. Megamind's large green eyes were watching hers breathlessly as he barely even breathed, hanging on her reaction, waiting hopefully for the answer he wanted. "Oh, my gosh…" was all she could say, shocked speechless. His smile widened slightly as her eyes shifted to meet his, and as she allowed the tears to fall, she threw her arms around him and cried, "Yes! Oh, yes! Of course I'll marry you!"

Megamind sighed in relief and deeply felt joy against her, his arms wrapping around her as he squeezed her tight. His eyes closed as he savored her feel, her touch, breathing in her scent as he felt tears of his own threatening to fall from his eyes. He had never felt so happy in his life, so… _accepted_. Reluctantly pulling back from her embrace after a moment, he stood and took the ring from the box. Tossing the empty case aside, he took her left hand in his, gently slipping the ring onto her ring finger. Admiring it for a moment as Roxanne's eyes sparkled, he finally pulled his eyes off the ring to look into hers as he practically whispered, "Thank you, Roxanne… I couldn't have asked for a better gift than the one you just gave me." He lifted a hand to her cheek, running it affectionately back through her hair as he blinked back the tears of joy he was trying desperately not to shed. "I don't need anything else for my birthday. Just you. You've made me so happy… I love you so much…" He choked up, unable to say anything further as his emotion overwhelmed him.

"I love you too," Roxanne whispered back, then brought her lips to his to share a passionate kiss with her husband-to-be. She couldn't believe how warm she felt, her heart beating wildly in her chest as she held him tight, savoring every moment, every touch, every press of his lips against hers… When she finally pulled back from his tender, affectionate kiss, she took his hands in hers and began to lead him away, slowly guiding him towards his bedroom. "Come on… I think we need to be alone for a little while now, just you and me."

Megamind's eyes softened even further, his smile warming as he realized what she meant, what she wanted. Immediately picking up on his cue to exit, Minion called after them, a delighted smile on his fishy lips, "Uh… I think I have a few errands to run… I'll, uh… be back in about an hour or so." With that, he hurried from the lair to give his master and his new fiancé some privacy.

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><p>Later that evening, Roxanne and Megamind snuggled together on the blue hero's black leather couch to watch some television and simply enjoy each other's company. Roxanne had turned on a Christmas movie to watch in the hopes of teaching her future husband a little more about the upcoming holiday, but his eyes were only rarely on the television. Completely enraptured by the reporter's presence and the change in their relationship, Megamind ran his fingers fondly over the engagement ring she was now wearing proudly on her finger, smiling softly to himself. "We're going to need to find a proper venue to announce this…" he commented out loud as Roxanne's eyes moved to the ring as well and the long blue fingers tracing tenderly over it. "The whole of Metrocity should celebrate this with us."<p>

Roxanne smiled, placing her hand over his as she agreed, "Yes. We should formally announce our engagement to everyone…" She grew thoughtful as she looked at the television, a sudden idea hitting her as she announced, "And I know just how we should do it."

"You do?" Megamind questioned. "How?"

Roxanne smiled up at Megamind, her eyes bright as she suggested, "You should throw a Christmas party, here at the lair!"

Megamind blinked at her. "A _Kurismahs_ party? Me? Here?"

Roxanne nodded excitedly. "Of course! It'd be perfect! Christmas is right around the corner, and a party would be the best venue to show off our engagement. You're Metrocity's greatest hero! You should celebrate the holiday too, and throwing a party would be a great way for you to truly experience the joy and meaning of Christmas yourself. I think it'd be a wonderful idea."

Megamind considered her suggestion, but groaned softly, "Roxanne… Even if I wanted to, who would I invite? The only 'friends' I ever had were villains… And I'm fairly certain heroes aren't supposed to be hanging around with criminals. It'd make me look bad… Again… I'd feel awkward."

"All the more reason to throw a party," Roxanne insisted, doing her best to encourage him. "You need to attend more social events with the city officials, do more to show the citizens of Metro City you can cut loose just like they can. A Christmas party would be the perfect way for you to interact with your guests and polish your inter-personal skills. I know you still feel awkward in crowds, but that's all the more reason to expose yourself to them. I'll handle most of the invitations, get the Mayor and the other city officials to attend. You invite whoever you want — just don't let on your guests are villains, if they are, and don't invite anyone who will cause trouble. What do you say?"

Megamind appeared reluctant, but looking into her pleading, hopeful eyes, he caved. "All right, I'll throw a party," he agreed. "But I have a feeling I won't be inviting many guests, if any… Most of them will be from your list, not mine."

"That's fine," Roxanne assured him, then giggled in excitement. "Oh, this will be fun! We'll decorate the lair, play music, dance… You'll love it, I promise!" She kissed his lips softly and he smiled. This would certainly be an interesting experience…


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: No warning for this chapter. I hope you guys like it! :D**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Megamind or Despicable Me.**

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><p><strong>Old Friend<strong>

**Chapter 2**

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><p>Megamind sat down at his workbench and stared hard at the blank piece of paper sitting on the desk before him. This was a problem unlike any other he'd ever faced, and he honestly had <em>no<em> idea how to handle it. He was a master of technological invention, a creative genius, and certainly no stranger to technical problem solving or scientific innovation, but _this_? This was something he had _never_ done before, and it was leaving him feeling frustrated and baffled — two emotions he didn't much care for. Tapping the eraser of his pencil against the desk in a very irritated, almost bored rhythm as he rested his chin against his fist, he groaned aloud, "Oh, this is so frustrating! Who would have thought planning a guest list for a _Kurismahs_ party would be _this_ difficult!"

"It's pronounced _Christmas_, Sir," Minion gently corrected his master, setting a cup of hot chocolate down on the desk beside him with a few donuts of varying flavors and colors. "And try to think of it this way: at least you aren't doing the _majority_ of the invitations… Miss Ritchi said you only needed to invite a few guests of your own. Even just one would do."

"But _who_ am I supposed to invite, Minion?" Megamind demanded, turning a desperate eye on his fishy friend. "The Doom Syndicate? Hah! I may as well just _hand_ them all my old weapons of mayhem and the keys to the city while I'm at it!" He groaned loudly, collapsing dramatically back into his seat and sinking low in it. "Let's face it, Minion… I'm an ex-_supervillain_. Apart from Metro… Er, _Music_ Man," he corrected himself with a dramatic roll of his eyes, "I don't really _know_ anyone to invite that _isn't_ in some way villainous or dangerous. Who am _I_ to invite that won't use the visit to cause trouble?"

Minion thought for a moment, then brightened as an idea hit him and he suggested optimistically, "What about Gru?"

Megamind blinked and stared at Minion in confusion. "Gru?"

Minion nodded. "Yes, Gru! You remember him, don't you, Sir?"

Megamind thought for a moment as he recalled his old "friend." "Ah, yes… I remember Gru. Older man, Russian accent, bald, long pointy nose… Always looking for the next big heist to take his place as the world's biggest villain. He used to commission me to build various things for him to aid in his dastardly plans… That Gru?"

"Yes, that's right, Sir!" Minion nodded, smiling happily. "Why not invite him?"

Megamind glared at Minion in a very doubtful way as he groaned, "Were you not listening to my description of him, Minion? The man's a _villain_. What makes him any different from the others?"

"OK, OK, it's true he's a villain…" Minion admitted, but began rummaging through the desk looking for something as he insisted, "But I don't think he's as much of a threat as he once was — if you can ever really consider him successful. He failed a lot… His plans didn't often work out."

"Didn't he steal the _moon_?" Megamind reminded his best friend patiently. "I remember it disappearing from the sky and all the mayhem that followed it…" He chuckled. "Don't you remember we used the panic to our advantage and attacked Metrocity while everyone was already frightened?" He sighed and shook his head. "Ah, that was quite a day…"

"It was one of your better plans, Sir," Minion assured him with a smile, still rummaging through a drawer. "But Gru returned the moon to its place, remember?"

Megamind grunted. "From what _I_ heard, its return was a lucky _accident_ in a conflict with another villain — some young boy calling himself Vector."

Minion nodded. "Yes, well, it turns out it was more than just a _conflict_…" he explained, his robotic fingers flipping through papers. "Vector had kidnapped Gru's kids."

Megamind blinked, instantly straightening in surprise. "Kids? What kids? Gru has kids? When did _this_ happen?"

"That's what I've been trying to tell you, Sir," Minion smiled, opening another drawer to rifle through. "He recently adopted them… Three young girls. He sent us a letter recently with a photograph I was meaning to show you, but I think the brainbots must have mixed it up with your files and… Ah! Here it is!" He pulled out a blue envelope with a triumphant grin, passing it to Megamind, who took it slowly, staring at him in disbelief. "It's all explained inside."

Megamind stared at the envelope for a moment, then opened it to remove a few pages covered in familiar handwriting and a photograph he hadn't seen before. The image showed Gru smiling proudly, surrounded by three very young girls — all grinning at the camera and hugging him. Megamind studied the photo curiously for a moment, then read the inscription written on the back, "Gru, Margot, Edith, and Agnes…" He stared at Minion in confusion. "Why would he adopt three little girls? He never hit me as the 'fatherly' type…"

Minion gestured towards the unread note Megamind still held in his hand. "It's all in the note, Sir, along with his usual request for help. It came in about two months ago."

Megamind looked skeptical, but grunted and straightened the papers as he read aloud:

"Megamind,

It would appear as though both our lives have taken

strange turns recently. As such, I feel that now would be a good

time to update you on my situation. But before I do, it seems

congratulations are in order! Though admittedly I cannot

understand your decision to try on the cape of a hero instead of

a villain, if that is what is keeping you out of jail, I suppose it

is a good thing. I must ask, though, is this a cover? You were

such a good supervillain, I find it difficult to believe you have

made such a drastic change… And I will admit, I am hoping it

will not affect our professional relationship. Your technical

capabilities have proven invaluable in the past, and I would be

very sad to lose that aid now — when I need it most.

As you can see from the photograph I have enclosed, I

have recently adopted three lovely girls from a local orphanage.

I know what you are thinking: why would I, Gru, adopt three

children? Well, the truth is, the adoption was originally intended

as a farce, all part of my plan to steal the moon. I needed the girls

to get inside Vector's fortress and recover the shrink ray… The

plan succeeded, but I fell in love with the girls in the process.

They're really very charming… It's amazing how quickly children

can change your heart… They sometimes make me wonder what I

ever did without them.

The girls have become my motivation in life now, the reason

I keep doing what I do. I am certain you noticed the moon did not

remain stolen for very long… This happened for two reasons. First, I

should have heeded your advice and run more tests with the shrink

ray over a longer period of time before aiming for the moon. You

were right, after all… An object shrunk can't stay that way for long;

the effect wears off over time, with larger objects regaining their

mass much quicker than smaller ones. The moon did not stay shrunk

for long. Secondly, Vector had kidnapped my girls and used them to

steal the moon from me… I did what I had to do to rescue my girls

from him. Does this make me a poor villain? Maybe, maybe not…

But it does make me broke.

Which leads me to the main point of this letter. I know you

are immersed in this whole 'hero' thing now, but in the hopes that

this is merely a cover, I feel I must ask you for help. I have always

felt I could rely on your aid in times of need, and now I need it more

than ever. The Bank of Evil is no longer funding me… I had to sell

almost everything I owned and strip down the rest in order to cover

the cost of the rocket that took me to the moon. I have been lying low

ever since, trying to recover from the financial burden it imposed

upon me, but I cannot continue like this forever, not now that I have

the girls to support… I will find a way to pay you for your trouble,

as always, but I need your technological genius and criminal

brilliance to aid me in my next big heist…"

Megamind stopped reading and ran a hand down his face, groaning out loud. "Will I never live my past down?" He turned to Minion and shook the papers at him. "Gru is asking me to help him commit _crimes_, Minion! And you want me to invite _him_ to my _Kurismahs_… Er, _Christmas_ party? Are you _mad_?"

Minion did his best to appear innocent as he insisted, "He doesn't seem all _that_ bad… And he has three daughters to think of now. He's never really hit me as the 'dangerous' type… And now he sounds more like a worried father than an eager villain. I think he's merely trying to figure out a way to support his new family that doesn't involve him working in a cubicle. In any case, he's the least dangerous of all your old contacts I can think of to invite… How bad could it be?"

Megamind groaned softly under his breath, growing thoughtful as he stared at the photograph of the older man smiling with his three adopted daughters. "I suppose you're right…" he admitted at last. "If I'm going to invite anyone besides Music Man, I may as well invite Gru and his girls." Scooting in closer to his desk, he grabbed the invitation Roxanne had given him to fill out and began to write on the inside,

"Gru,

I apologize for the delay in response to your letter. I only

recently found it mixed up with my files… In any case, before I

delve into the purpose of this communication, I feel I must address

a few points you brought up in your letter.

First of all, congratulations on the adoption of your three

girls! They look pretty cute. I'll admit I was surprised to hear you

had children, but I hear they can be a joy… I wouldn't know, never

having fathered any myself. I'm not even sure if that'll be possible,

but in any case, I'm happy for you. It sounds as though your new

daughters have been quite the blessing!

Now, as to your request for aid, I'm afraid I must refuse. I

am a hero now, and my reputation would be severely damaged if

word got out I was helping villains – even if they operate outside my

city. This is not a cover. I am much happier now as Metrocity's new

hero and protector than I ever was as a supervillain, and far more

successful at it. The perks have been great! It's really very nice not

having to worry about going back to jail, and the people actually _smile_

at me now rather than booing me… I never used to think such a thing

could be _possible_ – not for _me_! I could never go back to a life of

villainy. Not now. This is so much better, so even though I am sorry

to hear about your current troubles, I'm afraid I just can't help you out

with them any longer. On the other hand, should you ever decide to

give up villainy and try out the hero gig yourself, I'd be more than

happy to help! It's been quite a change for me, but a good one.

That said, I'm actually writing to invite you to a Christmas

party I'm throwing here at my lair on Christmas Eve, Friday, December

24th at 6:00pm. This is a public party, and many city officials will be

attending, so my reputation is on the line… The last thing I want is any

trouble. As such, I would prefer to keep your choice of career a secret. If

anyone asks, we are old friends. We were once allies… Perhaps we can

be again for one night. I hope I am not mistaken in trusting you not to

cause trouble while you're here? I would very much like to share the

evening with you and your girls and only have to worry about whether

or not we have enough holiday treats to satisfy everyone's cravings.

If you intend to come, please reply to this invitation as soon as

possible. There will be music, food, dancing, games, and I hear we may

even get a surprise visit from a certain popular fat man the kids seem to

like… Please let me know what the girls like so I can properly prepare a

surprise for them.

Hope to see you there,

MM"

Megamind read over the invitation a few times, frowning at it in indecision. He was fairly certain he could trust Gru; the older villain had always been one of the more polite and respectful of his former contacts, but he still had his doubts about inviting a villain — albeit a rather harmless one — to a party where every eye in Metro City would be on _him_, his every move and guest scrutinized beneath the public magnifying glass. If word got out one of his guests was a villain, his whole reputation as a hero could be at stake. Why had Roxanne insisted he do this again? He could still hear her words ringing in his ears over breakfast just that morning when he'd asked her that very question, "Because part of the magic of Christmas is sharing it with old friends, putting aside your differences, and enjoying the company of familiar _and_ unfamiliar faces… Yes, you know the mayor and the police and the other city officials, but do you actually count any of them as _friends_?"

"Well, no, but…" Megamind had tried to protest, but he didn't seem able to come up with a decent excuse to end his sentence with he hadn't already stated.

"So you need to invite someone you know, someone you've known for years," Roxanne had insisted. "Maybe even someone you like."

"I'm inviting Music Man," Megamind had reminded her somewhat pointedly. "You can't get an older friend than that. Isn't that enough?"

Roxanne had shaken her head. "No. I mean, he certainly counts… But I think you should find someone else as well, someone who wasn't your rival for most of your life. Just try to find _one_, at least… If you can." She had smiled at him then in that way she always did that she knew would melt his heart and get him to do whatever she wanted him to. She had assured him he wouldn't regret it, and praying she was right, he had reluctantly agreed to try to find one old contact that might not be too villainous to invite.

Sighing softly to himself, Megamind sealed the invitation, addressed it, then held it out to Minion. "All right, Minion. Mail it off," he instructed the excited fish. "Let's just hope _this_ plan doesn't blow up in our faces…"

"I'm sure everything will be just fine, Sir," Minion assured him, gladly taking the red envelope from his master. "You'll see!"

* * *

><p>As the days passed slowly by, Minion and the brainbots helping him decorate the once-evil lair to celebrate the holiday and prepare for the Christmas party, Megamind found himself quickly getting caught up in the excitement of it all. He'd spent hours researching the meaning behind the holiday, had watched plenty of Christmas themed movies with Roxanne (he loved the many versions of A Christmas Carol, and Elf had him practically rolling on the floor laughing), had familiarized himself with as many of the Christmas traditions as he could (he <em>loved<em> the mistletoe tradition, even if he could never pronounce it quite right; any tradition that gave him an excuse to openly kiss Roxanne was a tradition he fully endorsed), and he was even beginning to enjoy the occasional shopping trips to buy gifts despite the crowds and cheesy Santa Clause-decorated merchandise on display everywhere. He'd quickly developed an addiction to candy canes and peppermint-flavored hot chocolate, and Roxanne was having a very hard time keeping him away from the various holiday donut flavors on sale everywhere and the cookies that almost seemed to be calling his name. But the one thing Megamind liked the most was the large Christmas tree now standing in one corner of his lair, decorated with twinkling lights, shiny baubles, tinsel, and garland. Somehow or another, that softly glowing tree was not only beautiful, but soothing and warming all at the same time. It seemed to embody everything he'd learned about the holiday, and he found it very hard sometimes to pull himself away. It was just so beautiful…

Megamind was busy hanging some soft blue Christmas lights around the lair one day when Minion came in and announced brightly, "Mail's here, Sir! Looks like we got quite a few more responses for the party. Shall I open them, Sir?"

Megamind nodded, fastening one link of lights to the wall. "By all means!"

Minion nodded, then began opening the letters, scanning over them as he read responses off to his blue-skinned boss. "All right, the Mayor says he'd be glad to attend and looks forward to sharing the holiday with you… The chief of police apologizes for not being able to come, but has a prior engagement with family in New York and will be out of town. He is offering to send his deputy in his place."

"Tell him that will be fine," Megamind agreed. "We'll welcome the deputy in his stead."

"Very good, Sir," Minion smiled, then opened another letter. "Senator DiCaprio will be attending with his wife and their two kids, a boy age 12 and a girl age 15. He wishes to express his gratitude to you for including his children in the invitation, and states, 'Most holiday parties I am invited to are black-tie affairs, no kids allowed. It's refreshing to know we have a hero we can count on not only to protect us, but who understands that even city and government officials have families and might enjoy bringing them with them to events like this one. We look forward to sharing the Christmas holiday with you.' Judge Hilton will be out of town… Ah! And here is a response from Gru!"

Megamind blinked and turned to face Minion, pausing in his attempt to situate the next length of lights before tacking them down. "Gru responded?"

Minion nodded. "Yes, Sir! Shall I open it?"

Megamind shook his head, dropping the lights and holding his hand out expectantly towards Minion. "No, give it to me."

"Yes, Sir," Minion obeyed, and handed the envelope up to his master.

Still standing at the top of the ladder, brainbots buzzing around him to await commands to help, Megamind opened the letter and pulled out the response inside, reading it aloud:

"Megamind,

Though it saddens me to hear I can no longer rely on you

for technological aid or villainous advice, I am glad to hear you

are happy in your new choice of profession. The girls and I have

been watching your heroic exploits on the television and the news,

and I must admit, I was expecting your response. You certainly

seem to have found your place in society. Don't worry; I don't

resent you for it… How can I when my girls are big fans of yours?

Yes, that's right… You have fans even outside of Metro City. How

can I refuse an invitation to a Christmas party from my children's

favorite hero? I fear if I said no, I would be in even greater danger

here at home than under the watchful eyes of an old friend turned

superhero. You should have seen the looks on the girls' faces when

they found out that I knew you and had received your invitation…

There is simply no saying no to three girls all begging to go and

giving the puppy eyes… So, yes, Megamind, I will attend your party

and will be bringing the girls. They are almost literally _itching_ to meet

you. They've already marked the date on the calendar. They're not

about to let me forget.

Rest assured I have no intentions of causing any trouble

while I am at your party or in town. If I did, I'd face not only your

wrath but the girls' as well. Though our relationship before now has

been mostly of an illegal and devious nature, I would still like to count

you more as a friend than an enemy. Your help has gotten me through

some very tough times… Rather than parting as foes, let us simply

begin a new chapter as friends. I think that's fair. Don't worry; your

heroic reputation will not be marred in any way by my presence. I

won't breathe a word of our prior history to anyone, let alone my status

as a villain.

So I take it we can expect a visit from Santa Clause at this party?

Agnes was very excited to hear that! She loves unicorns; that's her thing.

She wants a real one, but you know how likely that is… Edith is my little

villain-to-be. She wears mostly pink, but loves weaponry, explosions…

Anything sharp. I really don't know what to tell you to give her… She

wants a ray gun for Christmas, but I keep telling her no. And Margot…

Well, just give Margot something ballet-related. She'll like that.

Looking forward to seeing you again,

Gru"

Megamind finished reading the letter and began to laugh. "Gru's daughters are _fans_ of _me_? Well, I didn't expect _that_…" Passing the letter back to Minion, he took the Christmas lights back from the brainbot that had caught them and instructed the fish, "Mark them down as attending, Minion. I'm going to finish hanging these lights, then think up some gift ideas for Gru's adopted daughters and call up Music Man. If he's going to be playing Santa, he's going to need to know which girl is which."


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Today's chapter contains religious themes. I hope you guys it! :D And yes, Megamind has learned how to pronounce Christmas. He's been practicing. ;P**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Megamind or Despicable Me.**

* * *

><p><strong>Old Friend<strong>

**Chapter 3**

* * *

><p>It was finally here: December 24th, Christmas Eve, the night of the big party. Megamind stood anxiously before a full-length mirror, dressed in a white spandex suit, his usual lightning bolt emblazoned in blue down the front and down his legs, outlined in gold. Around his shoulders hung a red velvet cape, white fur trimming the bottom and collar, and his expression was anything but certain as he flared his cape dramatically and tried to check himself out from every angle. Spotting Roxanne approaching from behind him in the mirror, he turned to face her. "Do I look OK? I mean, do I <em>really<em>?" he asked her nervously, puffing out his chest in his most heroic pose — though his eyes screamed more of anxiety than confidence. Even with all of his research and all his preparation, he still wasn't very certain of this party… "Is it… Christmas-y enough? Do I look silly? Foolish? Oh, I should just change…" He turned to sulk away, but Roxanne grabbed his arm, giggling, and he pouted at her. "Don't laugh at me! This is _serious_!"

"You look fine, Megamind," Roxanne assured him, turning him to face her and looking him right in his emerald eyes. She knew what this was _really_ about… "There's no reason to be nervous. It's a party! Relax! Have fun! And try not to focus on how many people there are."

Megamind groaned and turned back to the mirror, fussing with his cape. "I'm still not… _sure_ I have this Christmas thing down…" he admitted softly after a moment. "What if I get something wrong? I don't want to offend anyone by mistake…"

"You'll do _fine_, Megamind," Roxanne insisted, embracing him from behind and admiring his festive look in the mirror. She'd seen the white suit once before; he'd toyed with the idea of wearing all white when he first became a hero, and had worn it a few times then, but had eventually abandoned it for his usual black and blue claiming it was more _him_. The red velvet cape was new though; usually he wore Metro Man's old white one. The combination of the red cape and white suit went well together. Running her hand across his chest in an affectionate caress she knew would soothe him, she smiled at his reflection as she stated, "You know enough, and besides, there's no _one_ way to celebrate Christmas — and this is your first one. Just have fun with it! Enjoy the night. And stop worrying about how you look. You look dashing — as always."

Megamind chuckled, a smile spreading across his lips as he placed his hand over hers, holding her hand tenderly over his heart. "I do look rather good, don't I?" he teased, shaking off his nerves in favor of his usual somewhat cocky confidence.

Roxanne giggled. "Yes, you do. Now come out to the main hall. Music Man is waiting."

"Yeah, I know," Megamind nodded, turning to walk out of his bedroom. "I told him to come early."

When Megamind arrived in the great room of the lair where the party would be held, he spotted Music Man floating effortlessly high above the ground, admiring the star at the top of his Christmas tree. "Better be careful, _Music Man_, or my guests might catch on to your true identity," he chided the retired hero with a cocky grin. "Or is Metro Man thinking of making a comeback?"

Music Man chuckled, shaking his head as he flew over to gently touch back down before the big-headed blue hero. "Don't worry, Little Buddy, the hero gig is all yours. I'm rather enjoying my retirement. I just noticed your star was a little off-kilter, and since no one was around, I thought I'd fix it for you."

"Yes, well, just watch those super show-off powers of yours when the guests arrive, or Metro Man will be making a comeback whether you like it or not," Megamind cautioned him. Cocking his head to one side, he took in Music Man's rather simple attire. The ex-hero had chosen to come dressed in a simple brown suit, a little worn-looking, as though he were trying to appear invisible. He hadn't even shaved. "You chose to come wearing _that_?" he questioned in apparent distaste, his lip curled in a sneer. "You didn't have anything… Oh, I don't know… Sharper? More flashy? This isn't even red or green… Where's the Christmas in _this_?"

Music Man raised an eyebrow at his old rival as he reminded him amusedly, "The point here is to _blend in_, not _stand out_. That's _your_ job, Little Buddy. I don't want to be recognized and will be keeping to the background. Besides, you want the man who has to disappear to become Santa to be someone the kids won't be looking for. They'll never miss me."

Megamind raised an eyebrow doubtfully as Roxanne slipped up beside him and snickered, "Well, you'll certainly be quite the Santa Clause… I don't think I've ever seen a Santa quite so… _large_." She gestured with her hand to encompass the entirety of his extremely well-muscled and tall body. "Were you even able to find a Santa costume that fit?"

"Of course!" Music Man assured them with a cheesy grin, and in a flash he was off, moving so quickly Megamind and Roxanne barely even had time to blink before he was back dressed in a red velvet Santa Clause costume, complete with black boots and belt, red velvet sack for the toys, and huge fake belly, a long, curly white fake beard covering his face. "See?" He posed for dramatic effect, as if expecting applause.

Megamind, Roxanne, and Minion all tried to refrain from snickering at the sight of such a large and burly Santa. Roxanne turned to Megamind and asked seriously, "Are you _sure_ you don't want to play Santa, Megamind?"

Megamind snorted and shook his head. "I think the giant blue head would give me away," he refused, pointing dramatically at his own overly-large cranium. "These kids are used to seeing human Santas, not alien ones. At least Metro Man…"

"_Music_ Man," the retired hero corrected him with a lifted finger.

"Er, _Music_ Man, looks human enough," Megamind finished. He cast an appraising gaze to Music Man and shook his head. "Well, at least he's not _blue_. He'll do. All right, Music Man, go with Minion now. He'll take you to the gifts we've prepared for the kids."

Megamind watched Music Man follow Minion out of the room, then clapped his hands together as his gaze flowed around the room, trying to make sure he didn't forget anything. "All right, we have the tree up, the star is straight, the lights are all hung… Glowing stars are hanging from the ceiling, yes, yes, good… Brainbots have had their colors switched to red, green, and gold in addition to blue, perfect… The lasers are in place for the effects… Music in the stereo… Candy canes are out, peppermint cocoa ready to be made, egg _noggin_…"

"Egg _nog_," Roxanne corrected him helpfully.

"Egg _nog_," Megamind pronounced it carefully, "Is in the punch bowl in the fridge ready to be served… Snacks are out…" He thought for a moment, his eyes scanning over everything. "I feel like I'm missing something, but what? The obligatory Santa statues are out, along with the reindeer and snowmen… _Mistleetoe_ is hanging in a few romantic places, yes… A few angels… Ah! I know!" He remembered what he'd forgotten and dashed from the room, leaving Roxanne blinking after him in surprise and confusion. What on Earth was he getting? As far as she could tell, the place was perfectly decorated already…

Megamind came back into the room a few minutes later carrying something very large in his thin blue hands, his eyes alight and a delighted grin on his lips as Roxanne watched him carry it over to an empty table nearby he'd apparently prepared just for it. "We can't forget _this_!" Megamind exclaimed as if it were the most important decoration for the party, setting the large item down on the table as Roxanne came to check it out, curious to see what it was.

Roxanne blinked as she got near enough to see it, Megamind busily setting up the figures that had fallen over inside. She knew what it was supposed to be, but somehow she still couldn't believe it… "What is _this_?" she gasped in surprise. She _had_ to hear his explanation for this one…

"It's my nativity scene!" Megamind announced with pride, puffing out his chest as he proudly showed her the models he'd obviously designed himself. All the pieces were there, the angels, the shepherds, Mary and Joseph, the infant Christ — but with one major difference: every one of them was incredibly skinny, blue, and had a big bald head. Megamind's eyes were practically shining as he insisted, "We can't have a Christmas party without _this_! How else do we honor the _true_ meaning of the holiday? What do you think?"

"They're blue…" was all Roxanne could think of to say, but she instantly regretted it as his eager smile turned into an almost panicked look of desperation instead…

"So?" Megamind protested, a note of panic in his voice as he pleaded for his choice of figures. "I'm blue! My parents were blue! My whole race was blue! I've seen nativity scenes in stores of all different racial colors, why not mine?" He almost looked as if he were about to cry as he picked up the baby Jesus to hold, his long spidery fingers tracing longingly over its enlarged head. "I thought… it was fitting…"

Roxanne swallowed hard as she saw the fear and pain in his eyes and knew this went well beyond a simple anxiety over what people would think. She knew why he had made the figures after his own kind — now extinct except for him. His race's demise and the death of his parents was a pain he almost never spoke of, but one she knew he held close to his heart. Though he seemed confused on a few details regarding the Christian faith, she'd come to realize over her time with him that he very firmly believed his parents were in Heaven (Minion had even told her that in his days as a supervillain, he had called it "Evil Heaven;" he simply couldn't bear the thought of their being in Hell or anywhere else, or that he wouldn't be welcomed into it himself), and any suggestion they might be otherwise or that such a place didn't exist for his kind deeply upset and terrified him. As her eyes fell to the small figure of the blue alien Jesus he was holding tightly in his slightly trembling hands, she knew he'd created the figures in a desperate attempt to express a belief that God had saved his people just as He'd done for human-kind, that his race, too, was welcome in Heaven. And now that she stopped to think about it, she saw no reason God wouldn't have made the same sacrifice for Megamind's people He had for theirs. Smiling softly at him, she closed her hands around his, pressing the precious figure in close to his heart as she assured him, "It's perfect, Megamind. I was just surprised, that's all. You're right; your race _should_ be represented. Put Him in the manger where He should be resting. You display this nativity scene with pride. It's beautiful. Absolutely beautiful."

Megamind breathed a noticeable sigh of relief as the smile reappeared on his face, and he turned to reverently place the figure of the infant Christ back in the manger. "It is, isn't it?" he practically whispered, stepping back to admire it himself. "I put a lot of work into this…" He turned a concerned eye towards Roxanne and asked anxiously, "Do you think they'll like it? The others, I mean? It… won't offend anyone, will it?"

Roxanne shook her head. "I don't think it will offend anyone any more than a human nativity scene would, but it will probably be a conversation piece. People aren't used to seeing a blue Jesus, but I think He will be well received. Relax, Megamind. You did well."

"Thank you," Megamind smiled, then turned to walk through the lair in a final inspection. "Did I forget anything, Roxanne? Does everything look all right?"

Roxanne smiled warmly at him, looping her arm through his as she assured him, "Everything looks great, Megamind. Relax. You're ready, and you're going to do fine."


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: First off, let me say a great big HAPPY BIRTHDAY to our favorite big-headed, blue skinned ex-supervillain! Happy Birthday, Megamind! :D Today's chapter is my gift to celebrate the day! There are no warnings for this chapter. That said, I hope you guys enjoy it! I love you all! 3**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Megamind or Despicable Me.**

* * *

><p><strong>Old Friend<strong>

**Chapter 4**

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><p>The remaining few hours before the party passed quickly, and before Megamind knew it, the first of his guests began to trickle in through the front door, greeted by a happily smiling Minion before making their way inside to find him. Adopting his most heroic and welcoming smile, Megamind gladly wished every one of his visitors a very Merry Christmas as holiday music played over the sound system. It wasn't long before the place was packed, guests still arriving, and once the clock struck 6:00, Megamind gave the signal to the brainbots to start the <em>real<em> party. As the lights dimmed and a cool artificial fog swept across the floor, laser lights began to flash in a carefully orchestrated light show as the music's beat shifted more towards dance music than the soft carols that had been playing. Right on cue, Megamind took his place on the small stage he had erected, puffing out his chest in pride and picking up a microphone as he soaked up the cheers and applause that greeted him, all eyes turning towards him. "I think it's time we get this party started, huh?" he called out over the crowd. He was met with an even more enthusiastic round of applause, his guests excitedly hanging on his every word. Why on Earth had he been so nervous? This was _easy_!

Gesturing for the crowd to settle down as he looked out over them from his position on the stage, Megamind exclaimed, "What a turnout! I do believe this will be quite the party! We will get things going in just a moment, but first, I have a little announcement I'd like to share with you all."

Megamind gestured to Roxanne, who smiled as she joined him, gladly allowing him to take her hand in his. He smiled at her warmly for a moment, his heart racing as fast as hers was, then turned back to his guests and announced with pride, "We couldn't think of a better venue to share our joy than this one. I have come to know Christmas as a holiday of warmth, love, and giving, and I do believe I have recently been given the best gift of them all. It is with great personal pleasure I'd like to share that gift with you all right now. As you are all no doubt aware, Miss Ritchi and I have been dating for some time now." He cast a shy glance towards Roxanne, his cheeks coloring softly, and she squeezed his hand tight, her smile warming. "It has been an honor beyond anything I can put into words…" he breathed softly, his eyes locked on hers. He bit his lower lip for just a moment, still in disbelief over everything that had happened between them, then reluctantly shifted his gaze back out to the breathlessly listening crowd. "Miss Ritchi and I have fallen rather deeply in love, and just a little over a week and a half ago I asked her to marry me. She said yes!"

Roxanne held up her hand to show off the ring he'd given her, smiling brightly, and after a surprised and delighted gasp sounded throughout the lair, an even more deafening round of applause and cheers erupted as the gathered guests celebrated their hero's engagement. Hugging Roxanne tight, Megamind's grin could not have gotten any brighter. "I'm engaged!" he cried in absolute delight. "And all of you are going to celebrate it with me! Now in the spirit of Christmas and the joy of love, let's get this party started!"

Right on cue, the music's volume raised, its beat increasing until the urge to dance became infectious, Megamind and Roxanne taking the lead on stage as the rest of the guests followed suit. Soon, everyone was boogying down to the beat, celebrating right along with their big-headed blue hero. Megamind couldn't believe how much fun he was having…

The party had already been in full swing for about a half an hour when Megamind heard his doorbell ring and hurried to answer it as he spotted Minion busily serving hot cocoa to the guests. Throwing open the door with an excited grin, he recognized the slightly taller, bald human man smiling awkwardly at him and greeted him enthusiastically, "Gru! You made it! I was beginning to wonder if you'd changed your mind…"

Gru laughed, shaking his head, and gestured towards the three girls standing slightly behind him, staring up at the blue alien with awestruck eyes. "No, no…" he denied, his accent thick as he smiled politely. "I would be a dead man if I didn't show up, trust me. I apologize for the late arrival…" He glared down at a few little yellow-skinned creatures cringing behind him. "My… _cousins_ seemed to think playing with the fuel mixture would be funny and caused us to have to land for a few hours while I fixed the engine."

The minions, as Megamind knew they truly were, began to whimper, muttering what he could only assume were apologies in their funny gibberish language, and the blue hero chuckled. "_Cousins_… Right. Whatever you say." He shot Gru a look that told him he didn't buy it for one second, but the villain merely grinned awkwardly and nodded towards the girls.

Gru laughed as Margot cast him a curious look, then wringing his hands together almost nervously, he introduced his girls. "In any case, Megamind, I'd like you to meet my girls, Margot, Edith, and Agnes. They've been looking forward to meeting you."

"So I've heard…" Megamind remarked, cocking his head curiously at the girls. The three were each studying him with interest, seeming to be waiting for a cue to suggest it was all right to approach him. "It's a pleasure to meet you," he greeted them kindly. He was completely unprepared for their reaction…

Their excitement overtaking them, the three girls rushed in on Megamind almost all at once, though Margot hung slightly back. Agnes squealed and jumped on his leg, laughing as Megamind screeched in shock and tried to shake her off. "What the…?" he cried, but it didn't help… The black-haired girl simply would not let go.

"I've got your leg! I've got your leg!" Agnes was happily singing as Megamind flailed, trying to resist the urge to reach for his dehydration gun.

"Get off!" Megamind cried, but the girl didn't listen.

Completely ignoring the blue superhero's discomfort at her adoptive sister's playful attention, Edith was following him with eyes that were shining as bright as stars. "Oh, a real life _alien_!" she was gasping in delight, her eyes on Megamind's big blue head. "So _cool_! I always wanted to meet an alien!"

"What?" Megamind was almost panicking now. He _hated_ being called an alien… Even if it was true. He just hated the term… It made him feel… _different_, awkward — _especially_ when used as if he were some sort of specimen for scientific study, and this 7-year-old girl was staring at him as though he were the most fascinating lab experiment she'd ever seen. "You shouldn't use that term. It's _derrogotary_…" He started kicking violently, trying desperately to dislodge Agnes, but the 5 year old only laughed harder. "Let go!"

"All right, _E.T._," Edith teased him, trying to grab a hold of one of his hands to study, but he yanked it roughly away, glaring at her coldly. "Hey, come on! Let me see your hand!" she protested. When he wouldn't give it to her, she pointed at his clothing and asked innocently, "What do you look like under there? Are you like, slimy and gross?"

Now Megamind was officially freaking out. Gru frowned as he watched the blue hero back up quickly into a wall, his breathing hard, and as he yelped, frantically looking to him to control his kids, he scolded them quickly, "Edith! Agnes! Leave him alone!"

Recognizing Megamind's discomfort herself, Margot dashed in and yanked Edith back, hurriedly moving to pry Agnes off the obviously disturbed hero's white leather booted foot. "I'm sorry, Megamind…" she apologized for her sisters, casting both of them a glare to tell them to behave. "They get… a little excited sometimes…"

Megamind was barely listening. Mustering all of his strength to try to remember that heroes don't draw their dehydration guns on little children (he still sometimes had trouble with that one when crowds – or in this case, overly-enthusiastic kids – started to make him feel anxious), he slowly began to back away from them, inching his way behind their father. Careful not to take his eyes off the girls as Gru cocked an eyebrow at him, he swallowed hard and muttered, "I don't think _excited_ quite covers it…"

"Megamind, they're just girls…" Gru began to try to explain, but he never got to finish. The blue ex-supervillain spotted something out of the corner of his eye and bolted off as though his life depended on it…

Roxanne yelped in startled alarm as Megamind practically dove behind her, his hands gripping her shoulders tight as he seemed to be using her as a shield. "Megamind, what on Earth are you doing?" she asked as she realized he was frowning, his eyes focused on something and refusing to move. Following his gaze, she spotted three young girls and an older man shaking his head a few feet away. "What, _them_?" she blinked in surprise, eyeing Megamind in confusion. "What happened?"

"They attacked me!" Megamind whimpered, and it was only then Roxanne noticed he was shaking, his nerves almost shot. He pointed dramatically to Edith, his panic evident in his voice, "And I think _that_ one wants to dissect me!"

Roxanne blinked at him, then snickered, "Megamind, they're just girls! Surely it can't be _that_ bad. What really happened?"

Megamind pouted slightly, then answered honestly, "The little one wouldn't let go of my leg… And the one in pink was trying to examine me…" He leaned in and whispered in her ear. "She called me an _alien_…" His shoulders drooped. "You know how much I hate that…"

Roxanne giggled softly, wrapping her arm around his shoulder to give him a comforting squeeze as she guided him out from behind her, assuring him confidently, "I'm sure they didn't mean anything by it."

Megamind nodded and as though to prove Roxanne's point, Gru moved over to where Megamind was standing beside his human lover, apologizing on their behalf, "Uh… I guess I owe you an apology…" he admitted awkwardly, smiling in as innocent a manner as he could manage. "I should have warned you they are… Shall we say… _Spirited_?" He scratched his bald head anxiously. "They mean well… Agnes did the same thing to me the day I adopted her… And Edith… Well, she's fascinated by you. I don't think she means any harm, but you have to understand she's curious about your differences…"

Megamind groaned, but before he could say anything, he felt a gentle tug on his cape and looked down with a jolt to see Agnes's big brown eyes staring apologetically up at him. "I'm sorry if I upset you, Mr. Megamind…" the little girl apologized sincerely. She hugged the small stuffed unicorn she was carrying to her chest as she admitted, "I was just so excited to meet you… I thought you might want to play."

Megamind blinked at her, then froze as he spotted Edith trotting up to stand beside her. "I'm sorry too," she sighed. "I just couldn't help it! I've watched you on TV so many times, and I've always wondered what you were like!"

Megamind drew in a deep, steadying breath, then let it out as he tried to smile down at the kids. "Yes, well… Try to remember I'm not a toy, all right? I'm a _hero_… And I'm no more _slimy_ or _gross_ than you are." He winked at Edith, and the pink-clad girl laughed, her eyes shining. Turning his attention to the black-haired little girl still looking up at him with watery eyes, he dropped to one knee to be on more of a level with her. Smiling gently, he spoke to her softly, "Agnes… I'm just not used to that kind of 'play,' all right? I'm not mad at you. It just surprised me, that's all."

"OK," Agnes agreed, then before Megamind could even move, she threw her arms around his neck and hugged him tight. The blue alien just froze, shocked. She was smiling when she pulled back, and held out her hand to shake his. "Friends?"

Megamind blinked at her, then shook her hand as he agreed, "Friends." Standing and shaking his head, he took a deep breath, then insisted, "Let's start over, shall we?" Drawing Roxanne over closer to him, he introduced her, "Roxanne, I'd like you to meet my old… _friend_, Gru, and his daughters, Margot, Edith, and Agnes."

"It's nice to meet you," Roxanne assured them, trying not to chuckle at her fiancé's momentary tension.

"It's a pleasure," Gru nodded to the reporter respectfully as he shook her hand. Stepping back, he folded his hands behind his back as he looked around the place. "So, did we miss anything important?"

"Well, actually, yes," Megamind chuckled, regaining his excited grin as he tugged Roxanne in close. "You missed the big announcement! Miss Ritchi and I are getting married!"

Gru blinked and gasped as the girls stared up at Megamind in surprise, Margot almost looking disappointed, "You're _what_?" He couldn't stop looking from Megamind to Roxanne and back again. "You're getting _married_? Really?"

Megamind nodded as Roxanne flashed the ring. He couldn't stop smiling. "That's right! I'm engaged!"

Gru broke out laughing, caring little for the unamused frown that appeared on Megamind's face. "No wonder you became a hero!" he teased the blue ex-supervillain relentlessly. "You fell in love with your kidnappee!"

"Well, that's not the _only_ reason!" Megamind protested weakly.

"Right, right…" Gru chuckled, eyeing him doubtfully, then turned to his girls. "Girls, why don't you run along and enjoy the party? Megamind and I have some catching up to do." The girls whimpered a bit in protest, Margot especially seeming reluctant to go, but with a shove from their adoptive father, they finally trotted off to explore the lair. Turning to address the two minions waiting nearby, Gru added, "Dave, Phil… Keep an eye on them." The minions babbled something in agreement, then hurried off to follow the girls.

"I think I'm going to leave you two alone to _catch up_," Roxanne determined with a sly grin to Megamind that told him in no uncertain terms that she knew the nature of their prior "friendship." Leaning in to plant a kiss on her blue lover's cheek, she whispered softly in his ear, "Just make sure you don't get into any _trouble_…" She looked him pointedly in the eye, smiled softly at Gru, then sauntered off to rejoin the party herself.

Gru chuckled as he watched the reporter disappear into the crowd, sliding up beside the hero as he commented, "She's a smart one, isn't she? She knows."

Megamind snickered, grinning slyly. "She would be the only one who does," he reminded him, turning his gaze on the man dressed entirely in black and gray. "And I'd like to keep it that way."

"Don't worry, your secret's safe with me," Gru assured him. "I'm not looking for any trouble. What I told you about my girls is true… If I caused any trouble for you, they'd make sure I regretted it. They love you."

Megamind chuckled. "I'll take your word for it. Now what do you say we go get some snacks? I got this really yummy peppermint hot chocolate you'll just _love_! And candy canes!"

Gru laughed, shaking his head at the new hero. "Oh, I'd almost forgotten you have a penchant for sweets! I take it that hasn't changed?"

Megamind grinned wickedly. "Not at all! Now come on!" He grabbed Gru's wrist and began to drag him with him. "This is a party! Let's enjoy it!"


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: No warnings this chapter, though the manger scene comes into play again. I hope you guys like it! :D**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Megamind or Despicable Me.**

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><p><strong>Old Friend<strong>

**Chapter 5**

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><p>After bouncing back and forth between his guests for a while, trying to make sure everyone was having a good time while Minion kept an eye on the snacks and drinks, Megamind finally leaned up against a wall with a sigh of relief, Gru joining him. "Whew! Parties are hard work for a hero!" he practically panted, chuckling as his eyes met the villain's. "<em>Everyone<em> wants to shake your hand! Still, being good has its benefits." He turned and grinned almost evilly at Gru, his eyes mischievous as he suggested, "The perks are great! Are you sure you don't want to give it up, Gru? Being good really isn't so bad."

Gru lifted a finger and opened his mouth to reply, but before he could, Margot slipped up beside him as if from nowhere and insisted confidently, "He has a point, Dad." Megamind chuckled as she moved to stand beside him, Edith and Agnes following behind her. "I've been saying it all along. Maybe you should listen. Megamind's _very_ smart, you know… You should take his advice. He won't lead you wrong."

"Margot, this is a conversation between me and Megamind," Gru scolded the young girl firmly. "Your opinion has been noted. Now if you would just leave us alone…"

"We're bored!" Edith protested loudly. "We want to hang out with Megamind!"

Megamind laughed, but Gru was adamant. "Megamind is busy! Now respect my wishes, and leave us be! I thought I saw the other kids playing pin the tail on the reindeer or something… Go play that!"

"No, that's dumb…" Edith groaned, but her eyes lit up as she spotted Megamind's dehydration gun in its holster on his hip, and unable to control her curiosity, she darted forward to grab it as she asked, "Hey, what does this do?"

Megamind screeched as he realized the girl had gotten a hold of his gun and was now aiming it right at _him_. Darting quickly forward, he managed to knock her aim aside, but the weapon fired, hitting a nearby police officer instead. He squealed in alarm as the man suddenly turned into a shimmering blue cube on the floor, and he tore the dehydration gun out of Edith's hands as he cried, "Give me _that_!" He groaned loudly, then shouted across the room to where Minion was looking in his direction in concern, "Minion! Get me some water! And hurry!"

As Minion hurried to obey his master's command, Megamind knelt down to pick up the cube before anyone else could notice what had happened. "Cool!" he heard Edith exclaim in delight, and turned to frown at her. "What did it do?" she was asking excitedly. "Is the change permanent?"

"Luckily, _no_," Megamind groaned at her. "I had it set to de_hydrate_, not de_stroy_…"

"Edith!" Gru scolded the girl, looking her directly in her eye, the sternest look on his face he could muster. "We've talked about this! Weapons are _not_ toys! Megamind only has that gun on him for _emergencies_! Right, Megamind?" He cast a questioning glance to the blue hero for confirmation. Megamind nodded his giant blue head seriously. Gru sighed and shook his head. Why did his girls always pick the worst times to act up? "_Please_, Edith, _try_ to behave?" Edith shifted on her feet, trying to look guilty, and he groaned out loud. He loved his girls, but sometimes he could swear they'd be the death of him…

"Here you go, Sir!" Minion cried, rushing up to the blue hero with a glass of water.

"Ah, thank you, Minion," Megamind sighed in relief, taking the cup from his fishy friend. Placing the cube back on the ground, he declared, "Now to fix this mistake…" and dumped the glass of water on the glowing blue block.

The cube trembled, then popped back into shape, the policeman reforming before their eyes looking a bit confused and a little dazed, but otherwise no worse for wear. Megamind hurried forward and brushed him off, apologizing profusely in embarrassment, "Oh, I'm so sorry, officer! The little girl got a hold of my gun… Uh, it won't happen again, I swear! No harm done, right? You're fine! Now go with Minion… He'll get you a nice hot cocoa and we'll forget this ever happened, huh?" The policeman raised an eyebrow at him as he laughed anxiously, but chuckled as he shook his head and turned to follow Minion as Megamind had suggested.

Megamind watched the policeman go, wringing his hands nervously, then turned back to Gru as he moaned, "Oh, my gosh, that was too close… I'm going to have to install a better safety lock on my dehydration gun now… I don't want to go back to jail!"

"Don't worry, you won't!" Edith assured him confidently.

"Yeah, heroes don't go to jail!" Agnes chimed in, then she and Edith took off to explore as Megamind rolled his eyes and groaned.

Margot hesitated for a moment, her eyes on Megamind, then stepping in just a hair closer to him, she insisted, "Relax, Megamind… They have a point. You're a _hero_… No one's going to send you to prison for a child's mistake." His eyes met hers and she smiled at him, then took off after her sisters, the two yellow minions following closely behind her.

Megamind sighed and collapsed against the wall with a heavy thud. "I don't know what to make of your girls, Gru," he admitted as the villain chuckled beside him. "Edith and Agnes seem determined to give me a heart attack before the night is out, but at least Margot seems to have some control… Do they cause this much trouble at home with you?"

Gru nodded, laughing softly. "All the time," he responded honestly. "They're always getting into things, playing jokes, making messes… They know how to get under your skin, I'll give them that, but they also know how to warm your heart. I'm not ashamed to admit it: I love those girls. I will never let them go again."

Megamind was about to reply when he suddenly noticed the music had changed. Instead of his carefully selected Christmas playlist, pop music was now blasting out over the loudspeakers. His mouth dropped open as he realized his lights weren't syncing properly either, and one quick glance to his central control system told him why: The two yellow minions were laughing and playing with the controls, bickering with each other and randomly pressing buttons as Edith and Agnes stood nearby laughing. Margot was a few yards away, hiding her face in her hand, refusing to have any part of it.

Upset that his party had been so rudely interrupted, his equipment sparking as the minions began to bang on it, Megamind immediately flew into action. Charging over to his sound system, he shouted at them, "Get away from that, you little yellow gremlins!" The minions screamed as he chased after them, running away from him as even Edith and Agnes scattered before him. "You'd better run, you pea-brained mutants!" Megamind shouted after them after he'd successfully managed to scare them away. "Don't touch my equipment again!"

Drawing in a deep, calming breath as Minion arrived by his side to help him, Megamind assured his confused guests, "Just bear with me a few minutes here, Folks… I have to realign the lasers and sync up the music…" He shrugged at them with his best, well-practiced what-can-you-do look as he joked, "Kids and technology. It's a potent mix, am I right?" To his relief, everyone laughed in agreement and complete understanding, and he turned his attention to the sparking equipment as he tried to quickly repair the damage and get things running again.

It took a few minutes, but with Megamind's genius and nimble technologically skilled fingers working at it, the sound system and the lights were soon up and running again as though nothing had happened. Megamind was greeted by a round of applause for his success, and waving at his guests as he insisted they continue to enjoy themselves, he headed directly over to the snack table to get a candy cane to suck on to soothe his nerves.

Megamind had almost made it to the table when the whole thing was suddenly uprooted and tossed aside, snacks, candies, and chips flying everywhere as the blue hero suddenly found himself being bowled over by a swarm of overexcited brainbots all chattering away at once. Looking up at them in confusion, he was shocked to see one of them being ridden by a small yellow minion, the others chasing after it to try to help it dislodge its unwanted passenger. Edith, Agnes, and the second minion were following the swarm below, laughing as they practically ran right over Megamind in pursuit. Margot, again, was nowhere to be found.

Megamind's hands clenched into fists as he realized his entire snack table and all the tasty treats on it had been ruined, and leaping to his feet, he roared at the top of his lungs, "BRAINBOTS! COME TO DADDY!"

The pack of brainbots all stopped in their tracks, turning quickly to heed their master's call. The one being ridden by the minion, however, seemed to have difficulty directing its flight path, and was the last to respond to Megamind's unhappy command. Edith and Agnes huddled to the side as Megamind strode forward and ripped the minion off his creation, scolding it, "You _behave_, or I'll have you thrown out of my lair along with your buddy!" The minion whimpered and trembled, babbling something incomprehensible, and he tossed it aside in frustration. Turning to his brainbots, he frowned at them, wagging a finger in their faces. "Now _what_ did I tell you? I said to _remain at the ceiling_! But did you listen to Daddy? No! There will be no fetching tonight. Now get back up there where you belong." The brainbots all barked at him in a rather sad way, but he gestured firmly towards the ceiling, daring them to defy him. "I said GO! NOW!" They obeyed without another moment's hesitation, and Megamind sighed as he turned to face the mess that had been made, his shoulders drooping in disappointment.

"I'll clean it up, Sir," Minion assured him, hurrying over with a broom and dustpan. Smiling at his blue friend cheerfully, he assured him, "Don't worry, Sir! We have plenty in reserve. I'll just set the tables back up and bring out some more. Why don't you go make yourself a peppermint cocoa? That'll make you feel better."

"Thanks, Minion," Megamind sighed in relief, wiping a hand across his forehead as he tried to relax. "You are one fantastic fish." Turning to his guests, he apologized again, "It seems this night will be full of surprises, huh? Don't worry; more snacks are on the way! Hopefully this will be the last disaster of the evening." Thankfully, everyone laughed again, and Megamind headed off to make himself some hot chocolate, hoping against hope this would be the last time Gru's girls and his minions would cause trouble at his party…

It wasn't.

Returning to the party with a steaming cup of cocoa in his hand, Megamind's eyes immediately began looking for the girls. Unable to find them, he quickened his pace over to Gru and demanded, "Where are the girls? Did you see where they went?"

Gru shook his head, looking entirely embarrassed. "No, I'm afraid I did not…"

Megamind shot him a pointed look. "Will they behave now?"

"Uh…" was all Gru managed to say, an uncertain look on his face as he shrugged, but a loud bang issuing from the other side of the lair drew both his and Megamind's attention…

As he heard the unmistakable sound of robotic hooves and mechanical bleating heading towards the main room, Megamind's face went pale. "Oh no…" he groaned, and in a flash he was off, dashing as fast as he could through the crowd towards the sound of an oncoming stampede. He was too late to stop it. A metal gate swung open and about a dozen robotic sheep came charging out, rushing straight into the middle of the party as the guests began to scream and run for cover. His experimental robo-sheep were on the loose…

Doing his best to push his way through the terrified crowd, dodging the uncoordinated movements of bleating, bucking robotic sheep, Megamind quickly made his way towards the control room adjoining the main hall. "Minion!" he shouted desperately over the sound of screams, the fish's robotic body stomping into the room to join him as they both began to frantically press buttons on the large control panel, Megamind making a mental note of the two girls and two minions trying to slip quietly from the room. Ignoring them for now, he focused his attention on the controls, desperately trying to stop the sheep's rampage. "Minion! I thought I told you to disassemble the robo-sheep!" he scolded the alien fish sharply.

"I'm sorry, Sir!" Minion cried, pressing buttons as frantically as his master. "I've been meaning to get around to it, but we've been so busy, and they were just so cute…"

"I don't want to hear excuses, Minion, I want to see _results_!" Megamind shouted, and as he hit a final button, he was relieved to see the robo-sheep come to a halt, their systems shutting down as they fell over where they stood. Breathing heavily, he wiped a hand across his brow as he sighed in relief, "Thank goodness they didn't activate the electrical fleece of doom!" He groaned. "Come on, Minion. Let's go clean up this mess and try to settle the guests back down…"

Stepping back into the lair's great hall, Megamind gestured to his guests that it was safe to come back out. As the screams subsided along with the sheep, he apologized for the third time that night, "I, uh… I'm very sorry for the disruption… I am still in the process of dismantling some of my earlier designs, and I'm ashamed to admit this was one of them… It's safe now; the robo-sheep have been deactivated, and will be removed immediately. Please, don't be afraid… I won't let _any_ harm come to you! Let us continue to celebrate, and rest assured I will do everything in my power to make sure _nothing_ like this happens again!"

This time there was no applause to greet him, though the guests all muttered their gratitude for the robo-sheep's demise, slowly returning from their hiding places to restart the party. Megamind immediately began barking orders to his brainbots, the chattering mechanical creatures swooping in to carry off the robotic sheep at his command, Minion doing his best to tidy up any damage done to the decorations and furniture. Casting a quick glance towards his special nativity scene, Megamind heaved a heavy sigh of relief as he realized it had survived the attack in one piece and remained undamaged. Well, at least _that_ was encouraging.

Once everything had been cleaned up, Megamind spent the next half an hour passing between his guests, making sure they were all right, assuring them he was in control of the situation, and doing his best to cheer them up. Trusting in their blue hero to ensure their safety, it wasn't long before everyone was laughing happily again, dancing, and just enjoying the party.

Music Man found Megamind soon afterwards alone in a corner, just breathing and looking awfully distressed. "There you are, Little Buddy," he greeted him warmly, but the blue superhero just looked at him sadly, and he leaned up against the wall beside him. "Some party, huh?"

"This isn't how I planned it…" Megamind sighed, smiling weakly as he spotted Roxanne heading towards him. His new fiancé wrapped a supportive hand around his waist, her eyes understanding as he groaned, "Everything was supposed to run perfectly tonight… This has just been one disaster after another. I don't even want to _know_ what those girls or the minions will do next…" He looked worriedly up at Music Man as he admitted awkwardly, "Those robo-sheep were not the only weapons of doom I was in the process of developing _back then_… What if they release the others? Then we'll all be in trouble…"

Music Man patted Megamind encouragingly on the shoulder while Roxanne squeezed him tight, but before either could say a word to reassure him, Megamind's eyes widened as he spotted Edith staring up at his nativity scene, her hand reaching up towards it as Agnes and the minions watched curiously from beside her. His heart in his throat, he darted towards her as quickly as he could, crying desperately, "No! Don't touch that! You'll…"

He never got to finish his sentence, Edith's hand slipping as she dropped the figure of the blue baby Jesus, the ceramic icon crashing to the cement floor and breaking into pieces…

The silence that spread throughout the lair as the guests took notice of what had happened was deafening. The look on Megamind's face as he fell to his knees to gather the broken figure in his blue hands was heart wrenching. "Break it…" he finally whispered the last two words to his sentence, his voice cracking as he choked. This couldn't be happening…

Edith froze in shock as she realized what she'd done, her hands flying to her mouth as Gru arrived, frowning as he pulled her back away from Megamind. Shaking her head as she tore out of her adoptive father's grip, she took a step in towards Megamind, her eyes on his. He wasn't looking at her… The blue alien's green eyes were focused entirely on the broken fragments of his most cherished figure as he seemed about to cry… "Megamind, I…" she started to apologize, but the look in his eyes was pained, and she suddenly felt so guilty she couldn't speak…

Squeezing the pieces of his infant Christ figure tightly in his hand over his heart, Megamind slowly rose to his feet and called to Minion. "Minion… Get me my superglue. We can't have a Christmas party without its central figure."

"Right away, Sir…" Minion nodded, casting his best friend a sympathetic gaze, then hurried off to fetch the glue.

When Roxanne arrived at his side and pulled him into her arms, Megamind accepted the embrace gladly, sighing against her as he squeezed her tight. He closed his eyes for a moment, merely savoring her warmth as he drew comfort from her nearness and tried to resist the urge to cry he felt welling up inside of him. Nothing was going as he had planned, and now even his favorite figure of his nativity scene — the one he'd put the most work into, the one that meant the most to him — was broken, its pieces held tightly in his hand. Even Gru was looking at him sympathetically, the party seeming to have come to a halt as every eye watched him sadly. Pulling back from Roxanne's arms after a moment, Megamind quickly brushed his hand over his eyes, then forced a weak smile onto his lips as he turned to his guests and insisted, "Come on, everyone! This is a _party_! It's supposed to be a time of joy and happiness, not _mel-on-cholly_. Don't worry, this will be fixed in just a matter of minutes. Don't stop the music on account of an accident! Go on! Celebrate!"

The guests slowly turned away to go back to the party, but as Gru shook his head at Edith, he couldn't help but overhear one of the men nearby him mutter to his friend, "Poor Megamind… He's trying so hard, but those kids keep getting in his way… I feel bad for him. You could see how much of his heart he put into those figures too… A shame the most important one had to break." Gru's heart twisted into a knot as he looked over to where Megamind was gluing his figure back together again, Roxanne gently running a soothing hand over his back in an attempt to comfort him. His girls certainly _had_ put the blue hero through a lot in one night… He couldn't help but feel responsible.

Once the figure was glued back together again and in place, Gru tried to approach him. "Megamind…" he called his name, and the ex-supervillain's eyes met his. Gru scratched his head and tried to apologize, "I'm really sorry… Uh…"

Edith cut him off before he could finish, "No, Dad… It's me who should be apologizing." Turning to face Megamind, she took a few steps towards her hero, Agnes right behind her, both of them looking entirely guilty and as submissive as they could be. Megamind blinked at them. "I'm sorry, Megamind…" Edith apologized sadly, looking up at him through big watery eyes. "I didn't mean to cause any trouble… I was just curious… Your home is so fascinating! I couldn't help myself. I'm sorry…"

"I'm sorry too…" Agnes pouted, taking Megamind's hand in hers. "Can you forgive us?"

Megamind stared down at the little girl holding his hand, unsure how to feel about everything that had happened. The girls… No, the _minions_ had caused him so much trouble, had almost wrecked his party and frightened his guests…They'd had him running ragged trying to clean up after them since they got here, and had strung these girls along for the ride. Now his favorite figure in his centerpiece had been broken… Edith and Agnes were asking him to forgive them, Gru busily scolding the two yellow creations of science and banishing them from the party to wait outside instead. He blinked as he spotted Margot nearby, her eyes hopeful and distressed, and realized the older girl had had no part in any of this, but wanted desperately for everyone to get along. Glancing back down to Edith and Agnes, he was surprised to see tears threatening to form in Agnes's big brown eyes, her lower lip trembling, and his heart melted. Kneeling down to her level, he placed a hand on her shoulder as he gestured for Edith to come closer so he could do the same to her. Looking back and forth from one girl's eyes to the other's, he insisted seriously, "Listen, I'm a hero… I believe in second chances. I know that most of the trouble here was probably not your fault, but Dave and Phil's… Am I right?" The girls nodded. "Then don't worry. I forgive you. But I do have to ask you to try to be more careful, all right? I did my best to make sure this place was safe enough, but you seem to have a knack for finding things you shouldn't be getting into. I'm trying to have a party here, and I can't enjoy that if I'm having to worry about what you're getting into and who it might hurt. Do you understand?"

Both girls nodded and chorused in unison, "Yes, Mr. Megamind."

Megamind smiled at them, then gave them both a little push as he suggested, "Good! Now go enjoy yourselves — but be _good_! I hear Santa will be here in a few minutes, and you don't want him to think you've been bad, do you? I hear he's bringing gifts, and I'd like to see you get them!"

Both girls' eyes lit up as they exclaimed together, "Yay! Presents!" and trotted off to get some candy canes. Gru heaved a heavy sigh of relief.

"Thank you, Megamind," Megamind heard a soft voice speak up from beside him, and blinked as he noticed Margot standing awkwardly beside him. "I know my sisters can be a little… _troublesome_ at times, but they mean well. I'm just sorry your figure got broken… It was very beautiful."

"Thank you," Megamind sighed, smiling softly. "I worked very hard on it."

"I could tell," Margot smiled at him. "I'm glad you were able to fix it. It's the perfect centerpiece." She turned to follow her sisters, but paused to call back, blushing softly, "Don't worry, I'll do my best to keep Edith and Agnes out of any further trouble. I'd hate to see them receive coal from Santa." Without another word, she hurried after her sisters.

"I really am sorry, Megamind…" Gru apologized guiltily, an almost helpless look on his face as he moved to stand before the superhero. "You grow to love them though, I swear… They really are very sweet."

"I'm sure they are," Megamind chuckled, then gestured for Gru and Roxanne to follow him. "Now come on. Let's go get ready for Santa Clause's big entrance."


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: No warnings for today's chapter! I hope you guys like it! :D**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Megamind or Despicable Me.**

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><p><strong>Old Friend<strong>

**Chapter 6**

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><p>Megamind positioned Roxanne and Gru in a location close to the stage where he knew they would have the best view of the night's main event for the attending children, then hurried off to make sure Music Man was ready. Once his ex-rival had given him the signal he was all set, Megamind made his way up onto the stage, a microphone in hand as he signaled to Minion to lower the volume of the music. As the lights went up, the music softening and the laser lights shutting off temporarily, he turned to the curiously watching crowd as he excitedly announced, "I apologize for the interruption, Folks, but I just received word from my brainbots that our most anticipated guest has just arrived! I'm afraid we weren't able to hear the sound of his sleigh bells over the music, but I have just been to the roof and have confirmed the arrival of the great Santa Clause!"<p>

The sound of excited cheers from all the attending children rose up as Megamind paused to listen and let their excitement grow. Gesturing for the children to come forward to the stage, he smiled down at all of them, noting Gru's three daughters standing right up front, their eyes trained on his. Agnes was bouncing up and down in anticipation. "Now don't you worry!" Megamind assured the enthusiastic children. "Though it has been a long trip from the North Pole," he forced himself not to roll his eyes; he still couldn't understand the point of this whole Santa thing, but would go along with it, "Santa assures me that his reindeer are used to long journeys and are not tired at all. In any case, my brainbots are taking very good care of them, and while their master is here to visit with you, they will be fed a veritable feast of carrots and fresh lettuce. We wouldn't want our favorite reindeer to go hungry, now would we?"

All the children chorused back at him, "No!" Megamind couldn't help but chuckle at the children's enthusiasm.

Megamind cast a quick glance to Roxanne, his eyes asking without words how he was doing. He was still unsure of this whole Christmas thing, especially where Santa Clause was concerned… The reporter smiled and nodded at him though, a silent signal to assure him he was doing great, and he smiled as he looked out over the excited faces of the gathered children, his shoulders relaxing just a bit. "Now, Santa _promised_ me he would be right down… Said something about needing to check his list twice? He said it wouldn't take too long, he just needed to make sure you all had been nice!"

The sound of jolly laughter suddenly began to echo through the ex-evil lair, and Megamind tried his best to look even more excited as he tried to play his part as best he could. "Oh! I think that's him! Let's have a warm welcome for our special guest, Santa Clause!"

At the sound of his name, Music Man stepped out from behind the red velvet curtain lining the back of Megamind's stage, laughing in great big "Ho Ho Ho's" as the crowd and especially the children cheered for their Santa. Megamind did his best to stifle a snicker at the sight of the ex-superhero's red velvet costume. He would simply never be able to get used to seeing him dressed like that…

"Santa Clause" waved to the children with one hand, his other easily carrying a heavy red velvet sack stuffed with gifts as he steadily moved across the stage to stand beside Megamind. "Well, Megamind, it looks like you're having quite the party here tonight!" Music Man spoke to the blue superhero in his best Santa voice, trying very hard not to fall back into old hero habits and puff out his chest or flash too obvious a smile. He could tell Megamind was on the verge of cracking up; the new defender of Metro City was biting his lower lip, grinning, and his emerald green eyes were laughing. He raised an eyebrow at him, a subtle cue to his old friend to remain in control of his emotions. "I trust you have been having fun?"

Megamind cleared his throat as he tried to remain calm, nodding. "Oh, but of course! We've been having a blast! Isn't that right?" He turned expectantly to the crowd, which responded on cue with a chorus of agreement and enthusiastic cheers. Smiling, he turned back to face "Santa." "Thank you for coming to my party, Santa Clause! I realize this must be the busiest night of the year for you, but we were thrilled to hear you could attend!"

"Oh, I wouldn't miss it for the world!" Music Man insisted, his blue eyes sparkling. Megamind tried not to smirk as he noticed Roxanne had a hand over her mouth to hold in her own laughter at the sight of such a large and muscular Santa. "I cannot stay long; after all, the elves need me back at the North Pole, but I couldn't pass up an invitation to share some holiday cheer with my favorite superhero!"

Megamind laughed, blushing on cue in a practiced display of humility. He and Music Man had gone over this routine at least a dozen times over the past week, Megamind insisting they had to get it down perfect. "Who, me? Get out of town!" he denied. Gru was chuckling, amused by the display.

"No, no! It's true!" Music Man insisted with a grin. "The elves and I have been watching you, Megamind, and I have to say, you've been very, _very_ good this year! In fact, I think you deserve a present! Do you have a Christmas wish?"

"Who, me?" Megamind feigned surprise, shaking his head. "Oh, no, no! I don't need any presents! Let the children have my gifts. I need nothing more than I already have."

"Oh, but you must want _something_…" Music Man prodded him gently. "A hero deserves a Christmas gift, don't you think, everyone?" The crowd began to cheer insistently, and Music Man grinned at Megamind from beneath his fake white curly beard. "So what is on your Christmas list, Megamind? What does Metro City's greatest hero want to find beneath his tree tomorrow morning?"

Megamind sighed in a dramatic show as if caving to Santa's pressure. "All right, all right! If I _must_ ask for something, what I want is a Christmas of peace for all the citizens of Metrocity, a day free from crime and terror, a day of joy and harmony for all the citizens I protect. That is my wish! I already have everything else I want."

Music Man broke out into another round of loud "Ho Ho Ho-ing," then admitted, "Well, that's quite the Christmas wish! A very noble one, I must say. I cannot guarantee a day with no crime at all, but I will do my best to see to it that joy will reign over all of Metro City throughout Christmas Day."

"That is all I ask," Megamind nodded, satisfied. "Thank you, Santa." As Music Man smiled at him, their rehearsed introduction finally coming to a close, the blue superhero turned back to the crowd and insisted, "Well, I think I've taken quite enough of Santa's time, huh? Now it's your turn! Santa will call you each up one by one. Don't worry! He knows your names and has already checked his list! Let the gift-giving _commince_!" With that, he turned to leave the stage, but paused as he passed by Music Man to snicker at him under his breath, "You know I'm never going to let you live this down…"

Music Man merely chuckled, casting the blue hero a knowing grin. "I knew that when I accepted this gig. Just don't give me away, and we'll call it even." Megamind bit his lip to refrain from slipping into an evil grin, then patted his old rival on the shoulder before leaving the stage. "Santa" sat down in the chair prepared for him, digging through his bag to pick out the first gift to give.

Megamind joined Roxanne by her side once he'd set foot back on the floor, gladly accepting her affectionate kiss on his softly blushing cheek. "You did great, Megamind," Roxanne assured him as he relaxed, watching the first kid go up on stage to sit on Santa's knee. "You can relax now."

As Megamind merely smiled at Roxanne, Gru coughed into his hand and slipped up next to the ex-villain, an amused smirk on his face. "I've never seen a Santa Clause quite like that one…" he commented softly to his old friend.

Megamind chuckled, agreeing quietly, "Yeah, he's one of a kind…"

Gru studied Megamind for a moment, then slipped in a hair closer, leaning in to whisper in the hero's ear, "Metro Man _isn't_ dead, is he?"

"What?" Megamind gasped, barely managing to keep his voice low enough so as not to attract attention as he turned a totally shocked expression on Gru. The villain was looking him knowingly in the eye, and he could feel his face growing hot.

Gru shook his head at Megamind, the look in his eyes telling the ex-supervillain rather clearly he would not easily be fooled by his attempts to deny it. "Don't even try to deny it," he insisted firmly. "I know what I'm seeing up on that stage, and…"

Gru never got to finish his sentence before he found Megamind's hand over his mouth as the hero quickly dragged him away from the party somewhere private, trying his best not to draw attention to his quick escape. Once he finally had the taller villain alone with him in a solitary room, the door shut tightly behind them, he released him and cried out in obvious alarm, "Are you _crazy_? You can't just go saying things like that in front of everyone!"

Gru chuckled as he watched Megamind run a hand down his face in obvious distress. "You never killed him, did you?" he pointed out knowingly, looking the blue superhero straight in the eye. "You've never actually killed _anyone_. That's Metro Man out there playing Santa, isn't it? I recognize his build, and you're too familiar with him for him to be anyone else. Your chemistry screamed of a long history together, and the only one I know of that could fit that description is Metro Man. He isn't dead at all, is he? You never actually destroyed him."

Megamind groaned out loud, rolling his eyes in frustration as he practically shouted his admission, "All right, you got me! No, Metro Man is not dead. We all thought he was — even me!" He looked Gru right in the eye, his expression pleading with him to understand. "Trust me, Gru, when I found out he was alive and had merely _faked_ his death, I couldn't have been more shocked! But he did… He faked it. He fooled us all. And he wants it to stay that way… Metro Man is dead. The man out there is calling himself '_Music_ Man' now…" He groaned and shook his head, burying his face in his hands. "He actually _thinks_ he can sing…"

Gru snickered. "So you've never actually killed anyone then… Why not reveal 'Music Man' for who he really is and clear your name? Everyone still thinks you killed Metro Man…"

Megamind shook his head. "I can't… Metro Man can't handle the pressure of being a hero any more… Believe me, I'd _love_ to be able to come clean and clear my name of that whole mess, but if I did, it would destroy him. Metrocity never pressed charges for his death… When I became a hero, they cleared my name of all charges, including the 'death' of Metro Man. This way, I'm still the hero for Metrocity, I'm still free, apart from the world believing one of my evil plans actually _worked_ when it didn't, my record is clear, and I get to play the hero for Metro Man as well. It would crush him if his identity was leaked and the truth got out. I can't let that happen… Not because of me."

Gru sighed and shook his head at the ex-supervillain. "I don't understand you… Why would you protect someone you once hated? You seemed so happy when he 'died…'"

Megamind glared at Gru, frowning. "Metro Man's 'death' was an accident, and a horrible mistake. I regretted it almost immediately. Sure, it was fun for a few days… But the novelty wore off very quickly." He sighed, crossing his arms over his chest. "Listen, Gru, as unbelievable as it may seem to you, I owe Metro Man for retiring the way he did… His disappearance gave me my chance to finally find my true destiny, to shine the way I'd always wanted to… I'm a hero now! I couldn't have done that without his supposed 'death.' Yes, when I found out the truth, it shocked me… Every belief I'd ever had was challenged, my whole world was turned upside down! Surely you understand that, having adopted three girls you couldn't part with after using them for your own nefarious purposes?"

Gru blinked, his eyes suddenly growing awkward as he stammered, "Er, well, yes, I suppose…"

Megamind's eyes softened, grew pleading. "Then you _must_ understand why I protect Metro Man's secrets. His days as a hero are over. Mine are just beginning. If the world were to learn he actually _survived_ my Death Ray, perhaps my fate might not change much… But his life would be over. Do you really think Metrocity would let him retire in peace?" He shook his head. "No. He'd be hounded by reporters, humiliated for abandoning them… He'd be called all sorts of names I don't even want to think of… Maybe even pressured back into the hero gig he obviously wants no part of. I can't let that happen, not to him. He's done his part, helped me more than you could ever know, in so many ways… If not for his retirement, I'd probably still be stuck playing the villain, he and I still locked in the same stagnant game that had ruled us both for our whole lives…" He groaned, sighing heavily. "If not for him, no one would have ever given me a chance… I could never have proven myself like this, I couldn't have been the hero. I'm much happier now as a superhero than I ever was as a supervillain, Gru. I owe Metro Man that much, at least. So I keep his secrets, as he wants me to do. His true identity dies with me. Please understand that, and don't breathe a word of it to anyone… It would crush him."

Gru studied Megamind closely for a moment, then smiled softly, resting an understanding hand on his shoulder. "Your secret… _His_ secret's safe with me," he assured him, then grinned wickedly as he withdrew his hand and suggested, "Though I might appreciate a few ray guns in return for my silence…"

Megamind rolled his eyes at the man, shaking his head as he laughed, "No way, Gru! I told you, I'm not in the villain business anymore! You want to be a villain, fine… But you won't get any help from me!" He smirked as he poked a finger into Gru's chest. "And don't you try to blackmail a hero! I have plenty of dirt on you too, you know… Two can play _that_ game!"

Gru chuckled, teasing the new superhero, "But isn't that a bit… _villainous_ for a _hero_?"

Megamind's lips twisted upwards in a wicked grin as he snickered, "Old habits die hard…"

Gru laughed and held up his hands in defeat. "All right! All right! Point taken. I won't say a word."

"Good," Megamind nodded in satisfaction, then turned to open the door to return to the party, gesturing for Gru to follow him. "Now come on. We'd better get back before anyone notices we're missing and starts asking questions. Besides, you don't want to miss your girls' visit with 'Santa,' now do you?"

"No, I most definitely do not," Gru chuckled, admitting honestly, "They would never let me live it down if I did."

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><p>Megamind could not stop smiling as he watched the children go up on stage to meet "Santa" and collect their gifts — all specially picked out for each of them by himself and Minion based upon what they knew of their interests. Happily sucking on a peppermint candy cane, he draped his arm affectionately around Roxanne's shoulder, holding her close as each kid was called up one by one to sit on Santa's knee. Their excited, grateful smiles as they received their gifts made his heart feel warm. Even Gru seemed to be enjoying it.<p>

When at last Santa's voice called out loud and clear, "Agnes!" Gru's eyes lit up, shining as the youngest of his daughters squealed excitedly and hurried up onto the stage. She hesitated a moment before the enormous and almost frightening Santa Clause, but at a reassuring gesture from his huge white gloved hand, she allowed him to lift her onto his knee. "Well, hello there, Agnes!" Music Man greeted her with his warmest smile as the dark-haired little girl looked up at him with curious eyes. "And what do _you_ want for Christmas?"

"A unicorn!" Agnes answered excitedly, not even hesitating with her answer. "A beautiful one, with a long tail! I'll take really good care of him, and pet him every day!"

Music Man broke out into a hearty Santa laugh, then gently told the little girl, "Well, you certainly like to dream big, don't you, Agnes? But I'm not sure I can grant you that one… You see, Agnes, unicorns like to be free, to share their magic with the world unfettered by fences and man-made bonds… They don't like being turned into pets — it diminishes their magic."

"It does?" Agnes gasped, staring up at Santa's laughing blue eyes in wonder.

Music Man nodded, stroking his fake white beard. "Yes. A unicorn in captivity will soon lose its horn and become no more than a horse. That's why you never see them as pets." Agnes grew thoughtful, and he smiled at the little girl in an encouraging manner. "That's not to say you couldn't ever see one — or even that the unicorn might endear himself to you. He simply needs to do it on his own, or he would lose the magic that makes him what he is. You wouldn't want that, now would you?"

"No!" Agnes shook her head seriously. "I love unicorns! I would never want that!"

Music Man smiled softly down at her. "So you see then why I can't grant you that wish, but I _can_ give you the next best thing." As Agnes watched in growing wonder, he reached into his red velvet sack and pulled out a fluffy white unicorn almost as big as she was. As the little girl drew in an excited gasp, Music Man activated the unicorn's mechanics exactly as Megamind had shown him. The unicorn's horn began to glow a soft blue, its eyes blinking as it focused on Agnes. Whinnying, its programming kicking in, it gently pushed itself into her arms as Agnes began to scream in her excitement.

"Oh my gosh! It's so _real_!" Agnes squealed, then hugging Santa excitedly, she leapt off his knee, the unicorn trotting behind her with finely coordinated, realistic movements. Megamind was literally beaming as she rushed over to her father to show him her new unicorn. "Gru! Santa gave me a _unicorn_! Look! Can you believe it?"

"It's beautiful, Agnes!" Gru appreciated the miniature robotic unicorn, casting an appraising glance out of the corner of his eye to the grinning blue alien standing beside him, watching their every move with pride. "Simply wonderful! Now why don't you go show it to Margot and Edith, huh? I'm sure they'd love to see it!"

"I'm going to call him Moonbeam!" Agnes decided, hurrying off to find her sisters, her new unicorn trotting closely behind her.

As soon as Agnes was out of earshot, Gru turned to stare at Megamind as the hero began to chuckle. "Really, Megamind, you've outdone yourself!" he insisted. "I didn't expect you to give her something like _that_! I thought you'd get her a plush toy or something…"

Megamind laughed, his eyes growing sly as he admitted, "I couldn't help myself, Gru. When I read your letter, the design came to me and I just knew she'd like that a bit more than some silly kids' toy. Don't worry, it's not dangerous… But it is intelligent. I've programmed it to follow and obey Agnes, but no one else. It will only follow simple commands though, like, 'Come here!' 'Run!' or 'Stand guard,' things like that. It won't listen to any command that could hurt her or anyone else. It's perfectly harmless; simply an interactive companion for what would seem to be a very imaginative little girl."

Gru shook his head, but his eyes screamed of gratitude. "I think you did too much, but she will love it. Thank you, Megamind."

"Of course," Megamind replied simply, puffing out his chest in his most heroic stance. "Heroes love to make kids smile!" He gestured towards the stage where Santa was now calling for Edith. "Ah! It's Edith's turn!"

Edith practically ran across the stage to leap onto Santa's lap, the ex-hero faking a yelp in order to mask his invulnerability. He actually hadn't felt the impact at all, though Edith was laughing and grinning at him expectantly. In only two seconds, he knew _this_ was the troublemaker of the three girls... "Well, well, Edith," he greeted the girl. "And what would you like for Christmas?"

"I want a ray gun!" Edith answered eagerly, her eyes lit up. Music Man blinked. "One that can burn through anything!"

Music Man cocked an eyebrow at her as he insisted firmly, "Ray guns aren't toys, Edith… They're very dangerous, and far too hazardous for children."

"Oh, don't worry! I won't use it for evil!" Edith insisted, her eyes sparkling. "I want to be a spy!"

Megamind cast Gru a curious look and the villain just shrugged and sighed. "I warned you…"

Music Man shook his head at the young blonde, refusing gently, "Well, being a spy may be more admirable than a villain, but I'm afraid you're still far too young to have the real thing. I _can_ give you this, though…" He reached into his sack and pulled out a detailed — though obviously fake — replica of Megamind's dehydration gun and handed it to her.

"Oh, cool!" Edith gaped at the replica in awe, pulling on its trigger to admire the toy gun's glowing accents and sound effects. "It's just like Megamind's gun! Thanks, Santa!" Without another word, she leapt off his knee to hurry off the stage, excitedly pretending to fire on everyone she passed.

This time Gru raised an eyebrow at Megamind, the blue hero scratching the back of his head awkwardly. Shrugging at the villain, he insisted, "You said she wanted a ray gun… I didn't know what else to get her. Kids play with model guns all the time, I see it everywhere I go… I figured it couldn't hurt to give her a replica of mine. Don't worry, Gru. It's just a toy. The only thing it can do is light up and make sounds. She can't hurt anyone with it… Unless she uses it as a club…" Gru chuckled and shook his head, then turned to watch as Margot was called up onto the stage.

Margot was far more controlled in her behavior than her sisters, Megamind noticed, approaching Santa slowly, her cheeks slightly red in embarrassment. Prompted to sit on his knee, she shyly allowed the man dressed in the big red suit to help her to do so, though she seemed almost nervous rather than excited to be there. "Well, hello, Margot!" Music Man smiled at the older girl, using his most soothing tone in an attempt to ease her fears. "And what would you like for Christmas?"

Margot didn't answer at first, her eyes uncontrollably moving to focus on Megamind as the blue superhero cocked his head curiously at her, unsure why she was looking at _him_. Her cheeks seemed to turn an even deeper shade of red as she shook her head, tearing her eyes off of Megamind to focus shyly on Santa instead. "I don't know what I want…" she insisted softly, but Music Man didn't buy it.

"Oh, come now, I know you want _something_," Music Man prodded her with an encouraging chuckle. "What would you like?"

Margot glanced one last time at Megamind, then insisted, "I don't know… A new tutu?"

Music Man could tell Margot wasn't telling him what she _really_ wanted, but he could also tell that whatever it was she _did_ want, it wasn't something she was comfortable telling him in front of so many watching eyes. Realizing it would be best to simply go along with her request than to try to push her to reveal something she clearly wasn't comfortable with, he smiled at her and said, "Well, what I have for you isn't quite a new tutu, but I hope you'll find it even better than that." Fishing through his velvet sack, he pulled out an ornate music box with a pink ballerina on top.

Margot smiled as she took the music box from Santa, her eyes sparkling as she wound up the mechanism to listen to the music. As an an excerpt from "Swan Lake" began to play, she exclaimed in delight, "Oh, it's beautiful! Thank you, Santa!" She then left the stage to show her new music box to her sisters, glad to be out of the public eye.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: I hope you guys enjoy this final chapter! :D This one's rated PG for a few suggestive themes. I love you guys! Merry Christmas, everyone! 3**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Megamind or Despicable Me.**

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><p><strong>Old Friend<strong>

**Chapter 7**

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><p>"Oh, come on!" Gru was pleading with Megamind a short while after "Santa" had left, the party picking up where it had left off as the kids played with their new toys in the area of the lair sectioned off specifically for them. "All I'm asking for is a simple blueprint… You don't even have to build anything! Just make the directions easy to follow, and we'll do the rest…"<p>

Megamind rolled his eyes. "For the last time, Gru, the answer is no!" he refused again as Roxanne arrived by his side. Pulling her in close, he kissed her hair tenderly, then smirked at the older villain, "Not everyone gets what they want for Christmas."

Gru chuckled, leaning up against the wall next to Megamind. "Well, that is certainly true," he admitted. "Even my girls won't get what they want this year… Though I am doing my best to give them what I can."

Megamind chuckled. "Yeah, a real life unicorn is rather hard to come by."

"Oh, no! Not even that!" Gru shook his head, looking at Megamind seriously for a moment before smirking at him. "I think you did rather well at satisfying the desires of Edith and Agnes… Takes the pressure off of me. But Margot?" He laughed. "Margot can't have what she wants and she knows it."

Megamind blinked at him. "Why not? What does she want?"

Gru's grin twitched upwards a bit as his eyes met Megamind's. "She wants her first kiss."

Megamind's eyes widened slightly, his cheeks coloring softly as he chuckled. "Her first kiss? Really?" Roxanne was giggling.

"Oh, yes!" Gru informed him seriously. "She's getting to that age where her attention's turning to boys. Only problem is, she can't have the one she wants."

"And why not?" Megamind asked innocently.

Gru smirked, his eyes never leaving Megamind's. "Because she's fallen for a certain blue-skinned hero who's in love with someone else."

Megamind's eyes widened as he leapt backwards in shock, staring at Gru in disbelief. Why was Roxanne _laughing_? "Woah, woah, woah! Me? You're kidding, right? You can't be serious!"

Gru chuckled, shaking his head as he crossed his arms over his chest. "Oh, no, I'm quite serious," he assured him. "You're all Margot ever talks about. She has posters of you all over the room she shares with her sisters, and I've even caught her talking to them and kissing them before." Megamind could not have gone any more purple, even his ears blushing as Roxanne now seemed to be grinning at him… "The only thing she wants for Christmas is a kiss from you, but she knows she won't get it. You're taken."

"What? But how could she…? I mean, I'm not…! How?" Megamind stammered, unable to even form coherent sentences at this point in his embarrassment.

"Is it _really_ that much of a surprise, Megamind?" Roxanne giggled, eyeing him knowingly. "You are _very_ handsome… Devilishly so, and she's been watching you all night. I'm surprised you didn't notice."

"Uh… But, I… I mean… Agh, I'm taken!" Megamind groaned, burying his face in his hands to hide his blushing cheeks.

"As I said, Margot won't get what she wants for Christmas this year," Gru snickered. "Meeting you will have to be enough."

Roxanne seemed to consider something for a moment as she studied Megamind's embarrassed expression, then suggested slyly, "I don't see why she couldn't get her wish…"

Megamind turned to Roxanne and gasped in alarm as Gru stared at her in surprise, "What? Are you kidding?"

Roxanne giggled. "Why not? It'd be totally innocent. You've hung mistletoe up in a few places around the lair… Just wait for her to stand under one, then give her a kiss. She's been hanging around them all night, waiting… I've seen her."

"But, Roxanne!" Megamind protested, casting a quick glance to Gru just to see him smirking at him. "I… I belong to you! I only want to kiss you! I hung up the _mistleetoe_ for you and me, or other couples… Not so I can kiss little girls!"

"Oh, come on, Megamind," Roxanne insisted, bringing a hand up to run across his cheek affectionately. He calmed slightly at her touch, but still looked incredibly uncomfortable with the thought. "Margot is young, just starting to feel that undeniable attraction to the opposite sex… I can't say I blame her for focusing her attention on you. You are very, _very_ handsome… Just give her a kiss on the cheek. You'll make her happier than you could even imagine."

"But, Roxanne…" Megamind tried to refuse one more time. "I don't _want_ to kiss her. I don't want to cheat on you…"

Roxanne giggled softly. "I know, Megamind. I'll forgive it this time." She pushed him gently away from her in the direction she'd seen Margot go. "Now go on. Make her Christmas wish come true."

Megamind groaned, then spotting Margot a short distance away under a bundle of mistletoe, he sighed and drew in a deep breath, steeling his nerves. He cleared his throat, puffing out his chest, stalling as he ran a hand over his large forehead and smoothed out his eyebrows. Casting one last glance to Roxanne just to see her grinning at him and urging him forward, he took one last deep breath, adopted his most confident smile, and set out towards the oldest of Gru's daughters.

Margot's attention was on Minion, watching the alien fish as he handed out drinks to the happy party goers. He was certainly a fascinating creature, she had to admit… A fish, but as intelligent as any human she'd ever met. And his robotic body was simply brilliant, an obvious work of art made by the most brilliant mind she knew. She was watching him so curiously she never noticed Megamind slip up beside her, let alone that he stood there for a moment as he forced his emotions under control to maintain his composure. Noticing where her gaze had strayed, the blue superhero spoke up from beside her, startling her slightly, "He's really something, huh?" He chuckled as Margot gasped softly, blushing as she turned to see him standing beside her. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to startle you," Megamind apologized, smiling softly at her. "I saw you were staring at Minion."

Quickly regaining her composure, Margot nodded, smiling shyly, "Yes, I was just thinking about how amazing he is… I've never met a fish that could talk before."

"Yes, well… There are a lot of things I'm sure you haven't done or seen yet," Megamind shrugged. He was stalling, and he knew it. He just felt so awkward… "Me as well. Did you know this is my first Christmas?"

Margot turned a shocked eye on him. "Really?"

Megamind nodded and chuckled. "It's true! I had no idea what it was until Roxanne told me about it a few weeks ago. There's still a lot I don't know, but I'm picking it up pretty quickly, I think… Do you see that?" He pointed up to the mistletoe hanging above their heads and swallowed hard. There was no turning back now…

Margot's eyes followed his finger and she blushed softly as she spotted the mistletoe. "Yes…" she admitted almost breathlessly.

"Do you know what it is?" Megamind asked her softly, trying not to let her see how nervous he was as he smiled steadily at her.

Margot nodded, her eyes locking on his. They were such a beautiful green… Like emeralds. "Yes, it's mistletoe…"

Megamind licked his lips anxiously, clearing his throat, then informed her as though sharing a secret, his eyes half-closed, "Well, did you know that _mistleetoe_ carries a certain Christmas tradition?" Margot's eyes seemed to grow even more breathless as he explained as though she had no idea, "Apparently, the tradition states that if a man and a woman meet beneath the _mistleetoe_, they must kiss for good luck." He bit his bottom lip for a moment, his cheeks flushing a soft shade of purple, then pointed out, "Well… We wouldn't want to break tradition, now would we?" And before he could lose his nerve, he leaned down to plant a soft kiss on Margot's cheek.

The kiss was brief and innocent, exactly as he'd planned it, and Megamind pulled back from her cheek with a soft smile. Margot was blushing, but grinning, her eyes locked on his. "There! Now you'll have good luck throughout the new year," the blue hero smiled at her, glad it was over.

Margot hesitated for a moment, then before Megamind could react, she leaned in quickly to plant a kiss on his cheek too. As his entire face flushed a brilliant shade of violet, she smiled at him and insisted, "And so will you."

Megamind smiled. He couldn't help it. This girl was very sweet, and it warmed his heart to see her so happy. "Merry Christmas, Margot," he wished her.

"Merry Christmas, Megamind," Margot wished him back, then he gestured towards the snack table.

"Why don't you go get yourself a nice cup of peppermint cocoa?" Megamind urged the young girl. "It's a favorite of mine."

"Then it must be good," Margot smiled at him, then hurried off to get herself a cup of cocoa after casting him one last, warm glance.

Megamind was grinning from ear to ear by the time he returned to Roxanne's side, and she giggled as she welcomed him back into her arms. "See, now that wasn't so bad, was it?"

Megamind shook his head, kissing her affectionately on her forehead. "No. Not at all." Gru just chuckled and shook his head at him.

* * *

><p>Now that the children had been given their gifts, the rest of the party went smoothly. Edith was having endless fun with her dehydration gun replica, playing spy games as she hid behind objects before popping out to "shoot" passersby. Agnes and her automated unicorn trotted throughout the Lair's main hall, weaving around and through the groups of people, some dancing and some talking, as they chased imaginary rainbows. Obviously enthralled by the blue hero, Megamind couldn't help but notice that Margot followed him around like his shadow, the blue alien unable to shake her from his sight no matter who he was talking to – or how boring the conversation may have been. He couldn't help but find her adoration somehow enchanting, though he continually encouraged her to go keep an eye on her sisters.<p>

"Well, I've got to hand it to you," Gru admitted as the party slowly drew to an end, slipping up beside the blue hero he now called his friend, "You certainly know how to throw a good party!"

"Of course I do!" Megamind beamed, puffing out his chest in his best heroic stance. "I'm _Megamind_, defender of Metrocity! What kind of a hero wouldn't throw a good party? Besides, it's all in the _presentation_! I think the candy canes and egg _noggin_ were a hit!"

Gru chuckled, then smirked wickedly, "And the mistletoe…"

Megamind's face flushed a deep shade of fuchsia as he admitted reluctantly, clearing his throat, "Oh, yes… And the _mistleetoe_ too…" He caught Margot staring at him and blushed terribly, sighing in relief as Roxanne joined him. "Ah, Roxanne! I was just missing you."

"I'll bet," Roxanne giggled, shooting him a knowing smirk. He chuckled and she wrapped her hand around his waist, then insisted, "Come on, Hero. It's time to say goodbye to your guests."

"Right," Megamind nodded, and headed to the door with his fiancé to wish everyone farewell.

* * *

><p>Gru and his girls were the last to go, the taller villain shaking hands with Megamind as they stood at the ex-Evil Lair's entrance. "Thank you for inviting us, Old Friend," Gru smiled at his old co-conspirator. "I hope we weren't too much trouble…"<p>

Megamind waved the concern away with a careless gesture of his hand. "No, no, of course not! I'm a _hero_; I can handle anything!" He chuckled, then admitted sheepishly, "Besides, now I know to bring out Santa _sooner_ next year, rather than _later_."

Gru laughed heartily. "Well, I think that's certainly a good idea."

Megamind nodded, his hand holding Roxanne to him tight as she leaned up against him, a smile on his lips as his eyes fell to the girls. "Your girls are wonderful, Gru. I'm glad I got the chance to meet them." He frowned at the minions as they rejoined their master, his eyes lifting to meet the older villain's as he insisted, "But leave your… _cousins_ behind next time, all right?"

"Deal," Gru agreed, then waved as he ushered his girls out the door, the three calling their own goodbyes back to their hero as he called his own over his shoulder, "Goodbye, Megamind! And Merry Christmas!"

"Merry Christmas!" Megamind and Roxanne both chorused after him, watching him and the girls walk away.

Roxanne could feel Megamind sigh wistfully beside her and glanced up to see a warm smile on his lips, his eyes glued to the receding images of the three little girls. She smiled at them herself, watching them walk away, then spoke softly to her blue lover, "I think I know what I want for Christmas…"

Megamind glanced at her and saw her eyes on the girls, his hand tightening on her shoulder as his smile warmed, replying honestly, "I think I want the same thing, Roxanne… But I don't know if it's possible. Our genetics might be too different. I haven't tested them yet to see if we're compatible…"

Roxanne's eyes pulled away from the girls as they vanished into the distance to look up into Megamind's vivid green eyes instead, smiling at him warmly as she suggested, "Well… It can't hurt to _try_."

Megamind chuckled, then sweeping her off her feet into his arms, he agreed with a mischievous glint in his eye, "No, it can't, so let's get to it then! Merry Christmas, Roxanne."

"Merry Christmas, Megamind," Roxanne smiled back as he carried her off to his bedroom. The Christmas party had done its job, teaching her dashingly handsome blue lover a thing or two about the spirit of Christmas and the joy that came with sharing it with everyone. Now he was going to share that joy with her, and as he closed the door behind him, his lips finding hers in a tender, heartfelt kiss, she knew it was time to make a little holiday magic of their own.

Megamind swore he would never forget the meaning of Christmas again.


End file.
